The Return
by SomeStoriesDeserveToBeTold
Summary: - AFTER TEKKEN 6 – Lars is missing... Heihachi has retired... Jin is dead... And Kazuya knows that all three of those statements are lies. Now, HE is the one in control of the Mishima Zaibatsu, and he is on the verge of attaining true power. Everything is going in his favor, until he is visited by the one person he thought he would never see again. KazuyaxJun
1. Weak

(Hello fans of Tekken! My name is Somestoriesdeservetobetold, and I am a somewhat new writer of fan fictions. This is my second fanfic ever, the first being a Pokémon story. Anyway, I wrote this story because I absolutely love the Tekken universe, and think it is the greatest fighting game of all time. The gameplay, the characters, the backgrounds, all of it collides to form a truly powerful game franchise, one that I hope to be a part of for a long, long time. This story is about Kazuya, my favorite Tekken character, and what his life has become like in the years after Tekken 6. Obviously you read the summary, so you know that this story is going to include Jun Kazama at some point. I don't want to give anything away yet, but I will say that she does not become a part of the story until at least chapter two. For the time being, chapter one is going to be about developing Kazuya as a character, and trying to set the stage for the rest of the story. Do not take this to mean that chapter one is going to be boring, because I assure you it will not. One thing more that I need to say is that I hope you enjoy the hell out of this story, and maybe even walk away from it with a new perspective on the Tekken universe. Thanks!)

**The Return**

**Chapter One**

Set one year after the events of Tekken 6

…

…

Following the defeat of Azazel at the hands of Jin Kazama, the great war has ended. Kazuya, being the only identified surviving Mishima on the face of the earth, has assumed control of the famed Mishima Zaibatsu, and turned it back into the massive corporation it used to be. Peace has returned to the world, but that does not mean all it well. Quite the opposite in fact. Kazuya has become a cold, calculating killer during his time as head of the Zaibatsu, and he has essentially become a monster. He expands and kills indiscriminately; paying no mind to the well-being of others, no matter what their situations might be. He has become the world's strongest, most influential, and most powerful man, but it comes at a price. He is losing his humanity. Everything that used to define him as a fighter has entirely faded, and now the man once known as Kazuya Mishima is but an empty shell. All seems lost, until a familiar voice from long ago finds its way back into his life.

Could he truly be seeing Jun Kazama, the one girl that ever touched his heart?

Or has Kazuya Mishima finally started to snap?

…

…

…

…

…

_Power is everything. _

Kazuya Mishima quietly looked out over the sprawling city before him, and reflected on simpler times. Back when he was still much younger, much more energetic , and much more reasonable.

_Reasonable? Was it reasonable or was it just naïve? _He thought to himself

Down below him, bright lights and dull buildings exploded forth, and stretched from the base of his tower to the far side of the horizon, literally as far as the eye could see. He knew that down there in the city, millions of insignificant people mulled about on their daily routines, going about their pathetic lives as if they were actually important.

_Naïve... It was definitely naive. _He decided.

He remembered how there was always a conflict back then. Always some piece of him deep down that opposed his desires and wants. That piece used to make him feel unsure about his choices, or curious, or worst of all, guilty.

Such weaknesses had left him now, as he felt no such feelings any more. No worry, curiosity, or guilt. Every choice Kazuya Mishima made was one that he agreed with fully, and never once did he let himself question if it was right.

_Guilt leads to questioning, questioning leads to hesitation, and hesitation leads to weakness. There is no other way._

Looking back on his long life, he felt no regret. Of course, there were moments he wish hadn't happened, such as the numerous defeats at the hands of his father and his son, but he did not blame those losses on himself.

_They helped me. All those losses. All those defeats. They showed me what I was doing wrong, and they proved to only confirm the thoughts I had been debating all along. They were disgraceful, but they were necessary._

Standing with his arms crossed, Kazuya took one last glimpse across the city, then turned and walked away. He walked across his office, straight past his sleek black desk and on towards the door at the far end. Located at the very top floor of the Mishima Zaibatsu building, Kazuya's office was the tallest point throughout the entire city and perhaps even the world.

When he told his engineers to design the building, he only had three demands;

Two hundred stories.

My office goes at the top.

Do it in a year.

Of course, the mere thought of erecting a two-hundred story building in one year was completely preposterous, but no one had the audacity to deny Kazuya's request. His rage and sheer power were well known all across the world, as he was famous for being not only the head of the largest business enterprise ever conceived, but also for being the son of the infamous warlord Heihachi Mishima.

Anyone stupid enough to question his wishes would surely have been killed on the spot, so when the call went out for builders to erect a skyscraper in one year, there wasn't a single soul that refused to help.

Lo and behold, one year after Kazuya Mishima's startling ascent to head of the Mishima Zaibatsu, the skyscraper was complete. On the three hundredth and sixty-fifth day, Kazuya personally visited to see what had been accomplished. A team of engineers and architects led him on an extensive tour of the building, during which he maintained a perfectly stoic nature, devoid of all emotion. But at the finale of the tour, which ended on the 201st floor, or the roof, disaster struck.

Kazuya happened to notice a large metal antenna lying on the ground when he arrived at the roof, and immediately demanded to know what it was for. Cautiously, one of the original engineers that Kazuya had ordered to build the building tried to explain. Apparently, the antenna was supposed to broadcast and receive signals with one of the many orbital installations around planet earth at the time. Since the installation that it would be communicating with had yet to be built up in space, the engineer had realized that it would be pointless to waste time installing it, and instead save it for the very last step of the project. He explained that an installation crew as supposed to show up and complete it two days ago, but that there was a mix up with scheduling and that they would be coming early the next morning to finish installation.

Kazuya asked the man to repeat what had been asked of him exactly one year prior. Cautiously the man said that he had been asked to complete a skyscraper in one year. Then, Kazuya asked the man how many days will have passed once the antenna was installed. The man replied that it would be three hundred and sixty six. One day too late.

And it was NOT a leap year.

Without saying another word, Kazuya grabbed the man around the throat, carried him over to the side of the building, and threw him off, where he fell two hundred stories to his death. Each of the other builders watched on in horror and Kazuya walked away in silence. From that day forward, every human being knew to take Kazuya Mishima seriously. Or else.

_I feel no remorse for that man's death. He was a worthless individual to begin with, and his failure to build my skyscraper in the time I asked of him was only proof that he couldn't work for me._

Kazuya walked across the wide-open office and into a nearby door, which housed his sleeping and living quarters. Once inside, he walked past a large velvet bed, and into his dressing room. Closing the door behind him, Kazuya looked clapped his hands and a full-size mirror lowered down from the ceiling. A familiar sight greeted him.

Kazuya looked exactly how he liked to. Black dress shoes, black leather slacks, a purple shirt and a black vest. It had come to be his trademark outfit, and he had several pairs of the same clothes in his closet nearby. His face was adorned with a simple frown, which actually looked like more of a scowl than anything else. He knew smiling was a waste of time, and generally displayed no emotion whatsoever, unless he intended to. A long, snaky scar was plastered across his face from his left ear to his right cheek, a scar that never seemed to go away as he aged.

He remembered when he first got the scar, as a particularly sharp rock sliced through his face when he was just a boy, and climbing defiantly up a wet mountainside. He remembered being thrown down off that cliff by his father, Heihachi Mishima, and he especially remembered how much he despised his father for doing it. Literally the only thing that kept him alive as he climbed up those rocks was the sheer hatred he felt towards his father, and how for all of his life, that hatred had refused to leave.

A long scar on the face was not the only injury he had received during that terrible fall and subsequent climb. Most prominently, he wore an enormous gash across his chest that sometimes would glow a dull orange color each time he felt himself grow angry. Also coming from that fall were cuts and scars that completed covered his body, making them too numerous to count.

In addition to mere cuts and gashes, Kazuya's body was covered with a multitude of horrific burns. These, he had received after being thrown into an active volcano by his father at the conclusion of the second Tekken tournament. That was an injury that he almost did not recover from, and only managed to survive thanks to the extreme regenerative capabilities of a formerly independent company; The G Corporation. Of course, the company no longer existed, as it had been bought out by the Zaibatsu and its name had been changed.

All in all, these horrible injuries had turned his body into a devastated, broken mess. But Kazuya did not care. The scars did not impede his strength, and if anything, they only helped to strike fear into the hearts of those who challenged him and saw him bare-chested.

_Fear is, after all, just another route to power. _

Blinking once, he looked at his eyes and saw that, as usual, one of them was colored a deep red. This strange defect had also been acquired thanks to his mountaintop banishment, and the evil spirit of the devil that now resided within him. That was a subject he chose not to dwell upon at the moment, but it was nonetheless one of the most horrifying things about him as a whole.

Bulging under the tight purple shirt were Kazuya's impressive muscles, which had been chiseled and honed thanks to years of intensive training and fighting. Covered in scars, they had been pushed to the extreme by Kazuya on a daily basis, and without any regret. His single body contained more destructive capabilities than a small army, making it practically a superpower in and of itself.

Taking off his trademark vest outfit, he slipped into a pair of long, white karate pants, which had also come to be closely associated with him. With a purple flame design on one leg and a red flame design on the other, these pants gave off a look of immense power and immeasurable honor. He also tied on two red foot guards that did little to actually protect his feet, but nonetheless were an essential part of his outfit.

Finally he walked over to a nearby desk and sat down. On the desk there was a single wooden box, ornately carved and intricately designed. It was a very simple-looking box, like something a wood craftsman would make. It had one keyhole on its front side, which was very unique in itself. That single keyhole, while appearing to be a simple metal protection device, was actually a deceptive trap. If any kind of key or foreign object should ever enter through it, then several tiny electronic sensors would be set off, immediately alerting Kazuya of the intrusion via his cellphone.

Not only did it let Kazuya know whenever his special box was being broken into, but it also gave off a 3000 watt discharge as soon as the motion sensors registered a key being inserted. This electricity was designed to travel out of the box, through the metallic key, and directly into the hand of the person trying to break in, causing instant death. Such brilliant and devious devices as this could be found everywhere throughout Kazuya's tower, due to the fact that he always demanded the best. No simple lock or security system ever pleased him. He needed the best.

After pondering his special electrical defense system for a little while longer, Kazuya finally picked up his arms and brought them around to either side of the box. Placing both of his index fingers on opposite sides of the carved box, he inhaled and then exhaled deeply. Immediately, two small high-tech sensors turned on, and began reading his fingerprints. After confirming the identity of the man holding the box, it gave off a slight clicking noise, then unlocked.

Kazuya released his grip, and slowly opened the lid. There, lying perfectly in the center of the box, were two red gloves.

These gloves were Kazuya's most prized possession. He wore them when he first defeated his father in the original Tekken tournament, and had subsequently carried them to each tournament since. Countless bones had been crushed at the mercy of these two simple gloves. Even more blood had been spilt by them as well.

Kazuya was a man that believed souvenirs or nostalgic artifacts were a stupid idea, but for some reason, these two simple gloves were the exception. Suits have come and gone, pants had come and gone, foot guards had come and gone, buildings had come and gone, engineers had come and gone, women had come and gone… but never the gloves. They were the closest thing he had to friends, and he treasured them immensely.

He carefully picked them up and inserted his hands. They slid on quickly, locking into place just before his wrists, as they had done a million times before. They felt comfortable on his hands, giving him a sense of familiarity. Flexing his fingers one more time, Kazuya exhaled, and stood up from the desk.

Turning around and walking straight out of his bedroom, he reentered the office. The phone on his desk blinked with a dull red light, indicating that he had one missed call. Kazuya glanced at the dot once, then continued walking, choosing to completely ignore whoever was on the other end.

_Whoever it is, they will wait for me. They always do._

Not giving his phone another thought, Kazuya walked to his front door and calmly watched as it slid open automatically. Placing one foot out of the office, he exited the room and made his way down a long hallway. Countless doors littered the otherwise perfectly whitewashed hallway, making the entire area appear like it was some high-tech hospital. However this corridor was anything but. It was actually the corridor that led to Kazuya's training room, and to his workout room below.

Kazuya reached the end of the hallway, and stood in front of another whitewashed door. A small pad was attached to the side of the door, upon which Kazuya placed his hand. It used electric pulses to analyze his fingerprints, then glowed green as it recognized the familiar pattern. The door slid open abruptly, and Kazuya stepped inside.

Clapping once, Kazuya turned on every light in the workout room, and was greeted with an intimidating sight.

_Intimidating, that is, to anyone but me._

The room was a perfect square, approximately 200 feet across, with one large circular imprint on the ground in the middle. The entire room was colored white, except for this circle, which was pitch black. Kazuya stepped into the center of the circle and crossed his arms.

_They had better not be late._ He thought.

Just then, a PA system blared to life. A timid voice appeared over the intercom, addressing Kazuya directly.

"Ah… yes, hello Mr. Mishima. I see you are ready for your daily training routine." It said.

Kazuya did not move, but simply stood still with his arms folded across his chest and his eyes focused on the large observation platform jutting out from the wall across the room. He knew that behind those tainted black windows, a full team of combat specialists and robotic engineers were eagerly seated at computer stations, each awaiting the begin of the session.

Picking up on Kazuya's silence, the voice continued. "Well, as you instructed of me, Mr. Mishima, I have designed a potential remedy to the uh… problem… we have been running into recently." It said.

Kazuya still did not move.

"As you are aware, all of your sparring partners seem to be getting seriously injured each day you fight with them, so my team and I have come up with a solution to this problem. As usual, you will be sparring against several combat volunteers today, but the difference this time is that they will be outfitted in a way to help them-"

"Don't give it away." Said Kazuya coldly.

The man on the end of the PA system coughed nervously. He knew that Kazuya preferred to not have any advantages when he practiced, as to strengthen his abilities. Telling him what adjustments have been made would give the man an unfair advantage over his sparring partners, thus lessening the potentially beneficial repercussions of his entire fight.

"Uh… yes, I'm very sorry Mr. Mishima. Do forgive me. I assure you that you'll enjoy today's training session, as well as the new technology being employed. As I do not wish to ruin your session or delay it any further, I will thus begin your training regimen and send in the first three fighters. Do you wish for me to proceed?"

Kazuya did not move.

The man quietly waited, then perceived this as a yes, which it was. He carefully turned off the PA system and turned to his fellow workers.

"Let's get moving! Send in the new fighters, and make sure they are the right ones! We're looking for group A1, with the mark-8 combat armor! Now go! Or else Kazuya will start getting mad!"

Hurriedly, the workers pressed buttons on their computers, and transmitted several codes to the arena below. Directly below the observation platform, a large sliding door opened, and three men stepped out. The door shut loudly behind them, and immediately the room grew quiet. All lights in the room were turned off except for one that shone directly on the black circle, illuminating only Kazuya and his three opponents.

The three men looked like any other fighters, except they appeared to be wearing armor. Kazuya looked the men over thoroughly, and tried to discern what alleged advantage they now held.

_Clearly,_ he reasoned,_ the body armor is what I'm supposed to be impressed by._

Kazuya eyed the men closely, taking in every detail. Their armor was a dull tan color, covering their torsos, arms, shoulders, legs, kneecaps, hands, and neck. They also wore large, bulking helmets apparently designed out of the same material that left so little skin exposed; the men had to squint to see out of a tiny eye slit so they could see.

Kazuya took note of the fact that the armor appeared specifically heavy around the neck area, and around the shoulders.

_Makes sense, since those are two of the most commonly hit areas. _He thought.

The three men took fighting stances, then slowly approached Kazuya. He did not unfold his arms, but continued to observe them as they made their way across the arena.

_They can't just be bulletproof. He wouldn't be stupid enough to come up with bulletproof vests. He knows that I wouldn't be impressed by something so unoriginal. I've fought plenty of fighters wrapped in bulletproof armor, and they were no match for me. If these stupid trainees truly are wearing standard issue vests, then we are going to have a problem._

Kazuya noticed that the men moved much more fluidly that he expected them too. Usually body armor was very large and hard to move around in, but for some reason, the men appeared to have no trouble doing so. They walked carefully closer, coming dangerous close, but Kazuya did not care. He knew that if any of them tried to strike him from so far away, he would simply dodge out of the way.

Not even unfolding his arms, Kazuya continued to observe.

_Tan coloring, light material, designed to reduce impact from hard combative blows. Clearly the substance cannot be any kind of metal or steel. Such a proposition would be ridiculous. No… It must be something else…_

Finally, one of the men broke into a run. He yelled loudly as he charged, but thanks to the armor he was wearing, very little sound penetrated. He threw back his arm and geared up to throw a punch right at Kazuya's face, who somehow still remained calm.

_Well,_ he thought, _I suppose I'll just have to find out what they're made of the old fashioned way. Fine by me…_

The punch came whizzing along, dangerously close to Kazuya's head, but it ended up missing within mere inches.

Kazuya had sidestepped, and the blow had missed completely. Not missing a beat, he unfolded his arms and slugged the man in the gut as hard as he would allow. His speed was astounding, and the loud thud made upon contact confirmed his hit's power.

The man buckled over in pain, and leaned forward sharply. Kazuya took the opportunity and karate chopped the back of his neck, creating another loud thump, and sending the man crashing to the ground.

_Weak. _

_This man is pathetic. But his armor is interesting… I must figure out what it is made of…_

The second man approached from Kazuya's left, taking a much more cautious approach. His fighting stance was very typical, and Kazuya was able to read him like a book.

_Stance indicates a basic understanding of martial arts. Strong left kick and right punch, but his left arm is horribly underpowered, and his right leg is underdeveloped. Clearly the man relies too heavily on certain aspects of his style, leaving other areas weak. Exploit the right leg, and apply pressure to the left arm._

Kazuya took the man by surprise and jumped directly at him. He fired a quick jab, which the man blocked by turning to the side and holding up his right arm. This left his right leg exposed, which Kazuya kicked at. He made contact at the shin, and the man leant forward slightly.

It was all Kazuya needed, for as soon as the man began to lean, Kazuya dashed forward and grabbed the man around the top of his helmet. Kazuya yanked down on the helmet, causing the man to start falling forward, much harder now.

As he fell, Kazuya used his other hand to grab his opponent's left wrist. Locking his hand firmly around the wrist, he spun the man in a circle and twisted his arm backwards.

"Gahhh!" He screamed as Kazuya twisted the man's arm further and further backwards. The man flailed his legs and one free arm around in all directions, apparently in a state of panic.

_Weak._

_He is panicking and letting fear take over his reason. A true fighter should be able to break out of this hold easily…_

Letting go of the man's wrist, Kazuya pushed him and sent his opponent stumbling backwards. It gave him an opportunity to deliver the final blow, which he decided to employ in the form of an Oni Front Kick.

Pivoting on his front leg, Kazuya spun around and thrust his leg forward, kicking the man in the chest. With tremendous momentum and power. A loud thud could be heard, then the man flew into the air, backwards and out of the black circle. He made a crashing sound as the man collided with the wall on the far side of the room, but it was too dark to see that far.

_Two down. Pathetic. _Thought Kazuya.

The third man circled Kazuya, staying close to the edges of the circle. Although Kazuya could not see his eyes underneath all the heavy armor he wore, he could tell that the man was observing him carefully.

_This one is watching me… trying to learn my technique…_

Kazuya picked up his leg and slammed it down on the ground in front of him, then slowly spread his arms in his deadly fighting stance. He lined up his hands with his eyes, and focused intently on the armored man before him.

Both fighters watched each other, perfectly still and as unmoving as statues. Meanwhile, in the observation room, the engineers and technicians were sweating with anticipation. Weeks of hard work had gone into developing these suits, and so far, they had been no match for the famed fighter Kazuya Mishima.

"Don't worry." Said the lead engineer, who was also the man who spoke on the PA system. "This one is different from the other two. I can see it in the way Kazuya is standing. He can recognize it as well…"

Although Kazuya was indeed watching the man's motions, he was much more focused on the strange armor that he wore.

_Perhaps Vectran-spun LCP… Its hydrobenzoic acid properties coupled withhydroxynaphthalene-2 would make it effective in terms of temperature… with a melting point of 330 degrees Celsius; it would be a creative choice if nothing else…_

The man continued to stare at Kazuya, aware that he was being observed, and doing his best not to give any information away in the process.

_Perhaps Nylon 6-6… the hexamethylenediamine acts as fortifier for the synthetic, making it unusually strong under stress…_

Finally the man stopped, right in front of Kazuya, and the whole room held its breath as the two fighters prepared to engage.

Suddenly. The man lunged. It was an uppercut, meant to disrupt Kazuya's balance and break his stance.

Kazuya leaned out of the way and kicked forward, hitting the man in the chest. His kick was not powerful enough to knock the armored man down, but it was easily strong enough to knock him back a few steps. Regaining his balance, the man stepped forward and fired several quick punches in Kazuya's direction.

High jab. Misses.

Low swing. Blocked.

Middle swing. Blocked.

High swing. Misses.

Low jab. Misses.

High jab. Blocked.

Side chop. Blocked.

High swing. Misses.

High jab. Blocked.

Kazuya didn't even break a sweat as he dealt with the man's blows. One after another they came, and one after another they failed to connect. He waited until the man fired one more high swing, then spun around and filled the space where his arm used to be.

Continuing his spin, Kazuya extended his elbow and held his fist up high, letting the back of his wrist collide with the man's head.

Normally such a hit would have felled an opponent, but the man merely shrugged it off thanks to his armor.

Kazuya did not give the man a chance to counterattack, however, but instead swung his arm down until it was horizontally oriented, then he pulled back and dug his elbow into the man's chest.

Even with the body armor, the hit sent him staggering.

Kazuya followed up by spinning around to face the man, then firing into a flurry of punches and kicks.

High jab. Hits.

Middle jab. Hits.

Low kick. Hits.

Right chop. Hits.

Left chop. Hits.

Right chop. Hits.

High kick. Hits.

High jab. Hits.

Low kick. Hits.

Middle swing. Hits.

High jab. Hits.

Roundhouse kick. Hits.

Kazuya landed on the ground after completing his flying roundhouse, and quickly analyzed his foe. His balance was completely off, and one light, well placed hit would knock him down.

He briefly debated delivering one small jab to knock the man down, but decided against it.

_No mercy. _

Taking a huge step forward, Kazuya found himself right up against the man, with his face inches away from the strange helmet. He planted his foot firmly on the ground, then threw back his arm as far as it could go, and launched it forward.

The uppercut accelerated faster than most jet planes could, and in a matter of mere milliseconds was already travelling roughly fifty miles per hour. It moved with such momentum and force that the few spectators present could barely even comprehend it as it flew by.

As it accelerated, Kazuya released his dark electrical powers, and his fist began crackling with blue electricity.

The punch made contact, and an extremely loud noise echoed throughout the room. Two loud noises that is, one right after the other.

THUMP!  
CHRACK!

"AHHH!" Screamed the man as he lurched forward and collapsed on top of Kazuya's fist.

Kazuya still held his hand at the exact spot in space where he had made contact, as was customary for him to finish his fights with. Sizzling electricity flowed throughout his veins, and it made him feel more alive than he had in a long time.

The man moaned and cursed as he tried to clutch at the spot where Kazuya had hit him. Kazuya, however, held his stoic pose for several seconds before finally relenting and returning to his original standing position.

The man fell out of the air where he had been suspended, and landed on the ground with a thud. He cursed once again, then moaned loudly in pain as he clutched his abdomen.

Kazuya crossed his arms and looked down at the man before him.

_Weak._

_He was better than most… but not good enough. _

The lights around the arena switched on suddenly, and filled the room with blinding white light. The other two men from earlier could now be seen, lying unconscious at different spots across the room.

The wide door opened again, and a team of men in white lab coats rushed out. Most of them ran to the downed fighters, but one man instead walked over to Kazuya.

He wore a traditional white lab coat like the others, but something was clearly different about him. His hair was a sleek silvery color, glimmering in the harsh lighting, giving off a very regal and professional appearance.

Regal and professional were definitely not the traits that this man exhumed, however, because he sheepishly came up to Kazuya and tried to avoid eye contact with the man as he spoke. His body seemed to quiver in fear, and he nervously fumbled his hands in his pockets.

Finally, Kazuya spoke.

"It was Kevlar. Kevlar KM2."

The man looked up with wide open eyes and a surprised expression on his face. "How did you know that?" he asked.

"I could feel it." Replied Kazuya, who remembered feeling the specific texture of Kevlar as he brought up his fist for the final punch.

Kevlar was a military-grade synthetic fiber that was usually employed just for the harshest jobs, such as artillery coils, exterior tank storage, and bomb disposal. Such a material was very hard to come by, and Kazuya knew that the man must have put much work into synthesizing and developing such a fiber.

Kazuya also knew that the man had adjusted its chemical makeup, adding several key reactants that strengthened the substance while not compromising its overall durability. All in all, the work truly was an impressive feat of science, and Kazuya had to admit, he was impressed.

The silver-haired man spoke again. "I… I spent many weeks with my team trying to develop this particular strand of Kevlar KM2, and according to test results, it should have held up today."

"Clearly it did not." Shot back Kazuya as he eyed the man lying on the ground.

The cracking sound that came shortly after he delivered the final blow was none other than the sound of the man's ribcage being shattered into thousands of pieces. The man currently was in a state of pain and terror that exceeded anything he had ever felt in his life, but Kazuya still did not feel bad about anything.

_Perhaps if the armor was stronger, then he would still have a functioning ribcage…_

The silver-haired man looked down at the armored man with the broken ribcage and sighed. "I know, Mr. Mishima, that it is your preference to try as hard as you can during practice times, but perhaps, just as a suggestion, you might not lose as many sparring partners if you relented a little bit…"

Kazuya thought carefully for a moment. Over the past few months, he had been brutally injuring many of his sparring partners, some so severely that they would never be able to fight again. Sometimes he would break their bones, sometimes he would puncture their organs, and sometimes he would leave them with debilitating neurological disorders, thanks to head injuries.

This had been the "problem" that the silver-haired man was referring to during his PA announcement. And it was the very same problem he had been hoping to fix by introducing the Kevlar KM2 armor. Unfortunately, his plan had failed.

"Sir… I apologize profusely. If you would find in in your graces to give me one more week, then I promise that I will find something stronger. I promise you." He begged.

Kazuya looked at the man closely.

_Hard to imagine that this whimpering fool had once been considered my equal. He dared to challenge me, and as I predicted, he was utterly destroyed. Now the tables have turned, and he answers to me._

"Listen Lee." Started Kazuya. "The only reason I bought your company in the first place was so I could get new technologies and designs. Remember what you told me the day I spared your life?"

"Yes, Mr. Mishima. I told you that I would never fail you and stay faithfully by your side, no matter what."

"Indeed. And what have you done here today…?"

Lee looked at the man in the Kevlar suit being carried off towards the medical bay on a stretcher, then gulped. He was terrified. "I… I have failed you…"

Kazuya leaned in close to Lee's face, bringing his eyes within Inches of Lee's.

"Give me one good reason not to kill you this instant." He threatened through grated teeth.

Lee tried not to look into Kazuya's eyes. Every fiber in his mind was desperately trying to think of something to say, but he failed to come up with anything. Ever since Kazuya had assumed control of the Mishima Zaibatsu, and bought out Violet Industries from under him, Lee was a changed man.

No longer was he the suave ladies-man he once thought himself to be. He spent most of his days locked up in laboratories, manufacturing new and expensive equipment for his tyrannical boss Kazuya. Violet systems had ceased to exist, bought out and overhauled completely by Kazuya's financial team. On that day, Lee realized that his entire life's work was whisked away in one second, and he was nothing.

"I'm waiting." Said Kazuya again, still full of rage.

Lee finally choked out an answer and weakly stated it. "I will improve the Kevlar further, sir. It will be… the best."

Kazuya frowned.

Lee looked up at the man who held the key to his life and quivered with fear. He knew what Kazuya was thinking. If he failed one more time to deliver, he would be killed, without hesitation and without grace.

"We'll see about that." said Kazuya as he gave the man one more menacing look, then turned and began to walk away. As he walked, he unfolded his arms and let them hang heavily at his sides. He stepped outside of the door, and vanished into the hallway beyond.

Now Lee stood as the only person remaining in the entire room. All his staff, his fighters, and even his boss had left. He looked down at the ground and sighed.

There, lying on the floor, was a tiny piece of tan fabric. He bent down, picked it up, and looked it over. It was a piece of Kevlar, a mere piece of what used to be his most successful synthetic discovery ever.

"Militaries, hospitals, space programs, corporations… all these and more… they would kill for a fiber like this." He said out loud. Nobody was around to hear him, though.

"It could have saved lives, it could have made money, it could have been a force for good… but no." he said. "It had to be discovered here. Discovered here, while under the watch of the single man on earth who would ignore it's potential."

He dropped the Kevlar pieced on the ground and kicked it with his foot. The piece slid several yards away, then stopped at the edge of the circle.

"To Kazuya, it is just a failed piece of yarn. Just a stupid piece of yarn…"

He placed his hands back into his pockets and sighed again. Then he turned slowly to face the maintenance exit, and walked away.

His was nothing.

And he knew it.

**End Chapter One**

(Thank you for taking the time to read my story! I know Jun Kazama wasn't seen at all here, but I assure you, she will make an appearance in chapter two. Right now the story just encompasses Kazuya and Lee, but I plan to bring in many different characters from the Tekken universe, and explore what roles they played throughout the subsequent story to come. This includes Jun, as well as many more! Stay tuned for chapter two, and please review! I would love to hear what you think about my writing! Good or bad, hit me with the truth!)

-Somestoriesdeservetobetold


	2. One Missed Call

(Hello fans of Tekken! Chapter two is here, and with it comes some interesting developments. As I promised last time, chapter two is when the second main character is introduced, not only once, but twice. I tried to keep her introduction as mysterious and alluring as possible, because I believe that her character overall is very mysterious and alluring throughout the games. As the story progresses, she will become more and more prominent, even to the point where she- oops! Don't want to give it all away now, do I? Of course not. If you want to find out what happens, then read the story right here! And please review!)

**The Return**

**Chapter Two**

Several hours had passed since Kazuya had destroyed the Kevlar-clad sparring warriors. Immediately following his victory, he had gone downstairs to the workout room, and relentlessly pushed his body to the limits.

From tirelessly lifting 100 pound dumbbells to spending hours running on a variety of treadmills at full speed, Kazuya worked every inch of his body. He preferred that no one interrupted him during his workout sessions, so in the end, he spent three and a half hours collectively working out.

His final step was the bench presses, which he was able to complete with ease. 250 pound weights were what he used on an easy day, so on a day like this while Kazuya was still fuming over Lee's failure, 300 pounders were the only option.

Finally, once his workout was done, Kazuya stood up from the bench, and wiped the sweat off his brow to cool himself down. Intensive workouts like that one were common for Kazuya, who usually worked out whenever he had spare time or if he was mad about something.

This time, it was a mix of both.

He stepped out of the room and into another long hallway. He wore the same white, flaming pants, red foot guards, and red gloves that he always wore when working out. He draped a towel around his shoulder, and began to walk down the hallway. Passing door after door, Kazuya considered what he wanted to do next.

_It's only 11:20. I should sit down._

With that in mind, Kazuya walked all the way down his corridor, until he reached a tall door just like the other ones. This one, however, was colored black. It was his office. The door slid open, and Kazuya walked inside. It slid shut behind him, silently.

Crossing the office, he noticed that he still had one missed call.

_I knew they would wait for me._

Ignoring the small red light, Kazuya walked past his desk and into the changing room. There, he picked out a pair of black slacks, and changed into them. He threw the white pants into a nearby laundry chute, where they would fall several stories to the wash room and be cleaned.

He also put on a purple dress shirt, a black vest, and two black dress shoes. Together they made up his trademark outfit, one he wore almost everywhere.

He slowly unbuttoned the two clips that held his gloves on his hands, and slipped them off. He opened the wooden box by placing his fingers on either side of it again, and then placed the gloves safely inside. It made a loud clicking noise as it closed, indicating that it was truly locked.

_Fine… now I can sit down._

Kazuya walked out of the room and into his office. His desk sat in the middle of the spacious room, acting as the single center of attention. Three of the walls were colored a deep black, and the fourth was entirely made of clear windows overlooking the city. The floor and ceiling were a light gray color, and the room was lit by a series of small overhead lights. Kazuya's desk did, however, have two small, metallic lamps on either side of it.

Kazuya stepped behind his desk and watched as his chair automatically slid backwards and turned itself around, so that he could sit down. Even the chairs in the Mishima Zaibatsu building were state-of-the-art.

Kazuya eased himself into the chair and waited as it pulled itself back into the desk. Kazuya's desk was built to surround him on three sides, and give him the maximum space to work with. There was still plenty of room for him to spin in his chair, however, for whenever he needed to look in any other direction.

He clapped his hands once, turning on the dual desk lamps, and then looked down at his desk. It was mostly clean, aside from a few scattered pieces of paper and a high-tech telephone. Pushing the paper to the side of his desk, Kazuya leaned forward and pressed a button on his phone.

"_One missed call." _Said the machine in a bleak, monotone voice.

Kazuya spun his chair around and faced away from the phone. He looked out onto the city as he waited patiently for the machine to continue.

"_One new message." It said._

Kazuya crossed his arms and prepared to hear the message. Since his office phone number was very hard to come by, he rarely received phone calls from anyone. The only people who had his number were high profile business executives, military officials, personal associates from the Tekken tournaments, and his secretary; Jane.

This meant that whoever was calling him had to have been someone important. Even knowing this, Kazuya was bored as he anticipated the message.

_Somehow… these idiots seem to have the most worthless things to say every time they call._

The machine spit out its next sentence, this one slightly more intriguing than the last.

"_Call time; 5:52 PM. Contact: Unidentified. Call number: Blocked."_

Kazuya flinched.

_Call number blocked?! _

He spun around in his chair and looked angrily at the blinking phone on his desk. His teeth grated together and he leaned forward in his chair, almost surprised by what he just heard.

_No one calls me and hides their identity like that. No one! I want answers now._

"_Beginning message."_

A low beep was emitted from the machine, and Kazuya paused what he was doing to listen. A woman's voice began to speak.

"Kazuya…-"

Kazuya's eyes opened wide.

_What did I just hear…?_

The woman's voice was eerily familiar. It was like a ghost, a specter coming up out of the floorboards and dancing around in his ears. The sound of his name, a name he had heard millions of times in his life, seemed like a completely different word when spoken by the woman.

Her words filled up the room, filling it with a feeling that reminded Kazuya of someone he used to know. The feeling spread and filled every corner of the room, making it spin with calm, serene vibrations. Then, as suddenly as the message began, it ended.

"-…It's me."

Kazuya leaned forward and grabbed the phone with both hands. He picked up the phone and whipped it up next to his ear.

"Hello? Who's there?" He said.

The only sound that greeted him was the obnoxious drone of the dial tone. When he heard that blank tone, the familiar feeling that had filled the room only seconds ago was completely swept away, leaving silence in its place.

"I said who is there!?" He demanded.

Still the dial tone continued.

Kazuya slammed the phone back in its place and put his elbows on the table, then leaned forward and put his forehead in his hands.

_That voice… I know that voice. But who is it? _He wondered.

Kazuya rubbed his forehead, then closed his eyes and tried to remember. The voice played over and over again in his head _"Kazuya…it's me… Kazuya… it's me… Kazuya…it's me..."_ Even with the message playing over and over again, he did not get the same rush of sensations he felt when he heard it the first time.

_It was obviously a woman. But I know very few women. And even less of them know this number…_

Letting go of his head, he leaned back in his chair and exhaled a breath he hadn't even realized he had been holding. Eyeing the door in front of him, Kazuya tried to think of who could possibly have been responsible for the message.

_Jane has this number, but she doesn't sound like that. And she isn't stupid enough to call me with an idiotic prank like this. She knows I would kill her… so who else does this leave?_

While Kazuya strained to think of who could have left the message, he glanced to his left and at the black wall. A large digital clock that adorned the wall stared back at him. In red letters it blinked; 11:27.

Kazuya turned his attention away from the clock and continued to think. _Anna Williams and Nina Williams also have my phone number. But I doubt they would be the ones. Both of them are off on hunting trips right now…_

During the turbulent year after Azazel's defeat, many of the original Tekken competitors had gone off the grid, generally out of fear and confusion, but some had remained, including Kazuya. When Jin's body mysteriously disappeared from the rubble of the ancient Egyptian temple, and Heihachi retreated back into hiding, much uncertainty and chaos sprang free about the fate of the Mishima Zaibatsu. Luckily, Kazuya had survived the entire Azazel incident unharmed, and successfully took charge of the Zaibatsu, saving the world from its downward spiral.

As more stability returned to the earth, the Tekken competitors began to resurface. While Kazuya's empire grew, he sought out skilled fighters and brilliant minds to join his ranks. Amongst those were the skilled assassin sisters; Anna and Nina.

Nina Williams had always been a renowned fighter, so when she came to Kazuya seeking work, he decided to task her with the hardest job he could think of; tracking down Jin Kazama. While most of the world assumed that Jin had died in the collapse of the temple, Kazuya was not so easily fooled.

_No son of mine would fall that easily… _

So Kazuya sent Nina out into the world with orders to locate and eliminate Jin, should she find him.

_She probably won't find him anyway. Jin is smart enough to hide. And should she actually find him, she will be no match for him. I know it…_

Meanwhile, Kazuya had decided to send her sister Anna on a similar assignment. He was not on very good terms with many of the Tekken competitors, and just knowing that they were still alive made him furious. In addition to Jin and Heihachi, there was a third man that posed a threat to Kazuya's empire; Lars Alexandersson.

Anna was slightly less skilled than her sister, but Kazuya knew she had talent nonetheless. And seeing as Lars had already led a semi-successful rebellion against him once, he needed to make sure that the man never got rose to challenge him again. So Kazuya sent out Anna Williams with orders to locate and capture Lars, should she find him. He decided to throw in a monetary bonus for her if she could bring the man back alive, which was quite unlikely.

_Lars is no Jin… but he's good. Almost too good. The only reason I want him alive is so that I can finally get my hands on an adept sparring partner. One that won't break every time they get hit…_

Deciding that Nina and Anna couldn't have been the ones to have called him, he racked his brain to think of any other women he had known.

_Kunimitsu… the ninja girl. Might it be her?_

Kunimitsu was a former member of the Manji clan, the infamous renegade group that used ninja techniques and trickery of the sort to run large-scale theft operations in the East Asian countries. Kunimitsu had been banished from the clan following some kind of a disagreement with the clan's leader, Yoshimitsu, but Kazuya was not familiar with the details.

All he knew was that some weeks after the Azazel incident, he received a late night visit in the form of a young female ninja who identified herself as Kunimitsu. She had spoken with Kazuya, and informed him of some interesting information. According to the girl, she had been close to the ninja known as Raven, and had apparently been travelling with him for some time.

Kazuya knew that Raven was the man who reported to the world after Heihachi Mishima's apparent death, and had fooled many people into thinking that he had truly died. It just so happened that Raven had also been the one to claim that Jin Kazama had died under the rubble of an Egyptian temple, so when Kazuya heard the news of Jin's death from the same source that had lied years ago, he had every right to be skeptical.

Kunimitsu went on to say that she had been monitoring Raven's actions in the weeks following the incident, and had come up with news that she thought Kazuya might be interested in. She found out that Raven had lied, and Jin was alive. Of course, Kazuya was not surprised by this news, but he was nonetheless impressed. The young woman had successfully manipulated and monitored a world renowned special agent, and lived to tell the tale.

Kazuya was impressed, but also curious. He wanted to know why the woman was telling him this, and he soon found out. Apparently, Kunimitsu intended to keep monitoring Raven for a long time, and she wanted someone to sell the information to. Kazuya knew that Raven was a man with many secrets, so naturally he agreed. Thus he began making shadowy payments to Kunimitsu on a regular basis for her intel regarding Raven and his going-ons.

_She does have this number… but she wouldn't call it. We have a system. Designated intel drop point and designated payment drop points. Nothing goes over the phone. She's smarter than that… so who could it be?_

Kazuya continued to rack his brain, but failed to come up with any answers. He curled his fingers up into fists and lightly tapped on the tabletop.

_Something with that voice isn't right. If only I could hear it again..._

Just then, Kazuya looked at the phone and realized something he was surprised he had not realized earlier. The phone was state-of-the-art, meaning it had every kind of feature known to man on it. That included message playback.

Kazuya leaned forward with an outstretched finger, ready to press the replay button. Just before he could touch it though, the phone suddenly blared to life.

It started flashing blue, and sounding soft, electronic ring tones. Kazuya, whose hand was already inches away from the receiver, was shocked to hear it ringing.

_It's almost 11:30… Who could be calling me now? _

Just then, he realized who it had to be.

_The woman that left the message! Somehow she knew I just heard the message and is calling me again! I need to find out who it is!_

Kazuya grabbed the receiver and brought it quickly up to his ear.

"Hello?" He said.

There was a short burst of muffled sounds on the other end of the line, and then a small gasp could be heard. Finally, a voice came on. "Oh! Mr. Mishima! I'm so sorry, I didn't expect you to pick up the phone so quickly. You rarely do it that fast."

Kazuya scowled. It was his secretary; Jane. Jane had been working for Kazuya as a secretary and personal assistant for several years now, going all the way back to his days at the G Corporation. All that time had caused Kazuya to develop a sense of trust with the woman, which was a sense he rarely felt for anyone.

Of course, just because he trusted Jane did not mean he liked her.

"Jane. What the hell are you calling me for." He demanded.

Jane sounded flustered on the other end of the line, as if she was caught completely off guard. "Oh, well, Mr. Mishima, your eleven thirty appointment has arrived and is on the way to your office now. I'm just following your orders and informing you of their arrival."

Kazuya frowned. He felt a tang of suspicion at the woman's words.

"What are you talking about. I don't take appointments this late at night."

"Yes, I know." continued Jane, sounding equally perplexed. "But it's clearly marked on your schedule. I know you don't usually make appointments this late, so I was also pretty surprised when I saw it."

"Who made this appointment."

"According to the planner details, it was scheduled by you, Mr. Mishima. Over a month ago."

Kazuya was silent. He had no memory of making this appointment. Most of his appointments were just boring old businessmen usually, who came sniveling and groveling to his office on a regular basis. Sometimes they had important business-related things to say, but usually Kazuya just ended up being bored to hell with them.

_I never accept those sniveling fools this late at night. Why would I make such an appointment?_

Jane patiently waited on the other end of the phone. She knew better than to interrupt Kazuya Mishima while he was thinking.

_It's been a while since I've had to deal with one of these meetings. I suppose I'll just sit through another one now. Besides, it will get my mind off of this stupid phone message._

"Send them up." He said into the phone.

"They're already on the way up, Mr. Mishima."

Kazuya took the phone away from his ear and placed it back on its base. Taking his mind off of the phone message, he tried to focus on the upcoming meeting.

_This idiot had better have something damn important to say. I can't stomach these fools on a normal day, but now, in the middle of the night, I'm especially pissed off._

Kazuya spun his chair back around and once more faced the wall of windows. He glanced at the digital clock on the wall, and scoffed. It read 11:31. His appointment was late.

_Why would I schedule a meeting this late anyway? And why don't I remember making it? I'm supposed to have a perfect memory…_

He turned away from the clock and continued to look out over the sprawling city below. Putting one elbow on the armrest to his left, Kazuya put his face in his hand and stroked his chin.

_That phone message is still bothering me too much… Whoever it was has to be someone I know, but also is unrecognizable to me. Very few people fit that description, and even less of them are women. _

He stopped stroking his chin and leaned back fully into his chair. The black leather office chair felt cool on his back, and gave him a sense of calmness throughout his body. He liked to sit in the chair, not only because it felt nice, but because it was an imposing sight to all who viewed him in it.

Countless companies had been bought and sold from inside the room, almost always while Kazuya sat and watched wimpy businessmen futilely try to save them. They never got Kazuya to agree to anything, and always left the office feeling defeated.

One special trick he liked to pull on the businessmen was to turn his chair away from them as they entered the room. This psychological mind game gave the illusion of Kazuya being a mysterious figure, one that could not been seen or understood. He specifically liked how it appeared insulting to those who entered, making them feel like Kazuya did not even give them the courtesy of turning around.

So when a small blue light flashed next to the office door and a subsequent low beeping noise sounded that indicated someone had arrived, Kazuya spun his chair and faced away from the door.

_Looks like my appointment has arrived._

Kazuya clapped once, and the door slid open. A stream of light entered the room, unusually bright compared to the typical amount that got in from the hallway outside.

Soft footsteps could be heard as someone entered the room. At once it became obvious that the footsteps were too light and graceful to be a clunky businessman, so Kazuya deduced that it was a woman.

Quietly, the door slid shut behind Kazuya's guest, cutting off the outside light. However, something strange happened. Even with the black door closed, a small amount of white light radiated from an unknown source.

The footsteps stopped several feet away from Kazuya's desk, where the woman apparently stood.

Kazuya began to receive a strange feeling throughout his body, as if he was in the presence of some old, familiar ghost.

After waiting a few moments, Kazuya began to get annoyed.

_Is she going to say something or what?_

Placing both hands together and on his lap, Kazuya coughed loudly. He intended it to be an implication of his annoyance, and a sign that he wanted the woman to speak.

She was silent for a moment, then the woman finally started to talk. As soon as sound began to come out of her mouth, Kazuya's eyes shot open. He recognized the voice.

"So… you survived."

Kazuya spun around in his chair and slammed his hands down on the desk. He stood up quickly with an expression of anger and shock on his face, demanding to see who had just spoken.

His eyes scanned the space in front of him, but there was nobody present. He looked from right to left, quickly trying to locate the source of the sound he had just heard.

The entire room was exactly as it was when he saw it just seconds ago; dark and quiet. The bright light that had previously been flooding into the room had all but vanished, leaving a dull and depressing gray mass in its wake.

Kazuya was the only person in the room.

It was completely empty.

…

…

…

…

**End Chapter One**

(Very interesting… very interesting indeed. If you liked this chapter, or if you liked the first one, please be sure to tell me via the reviews section! Alternatively, if you hated this chapter and think I should jump off a cliff, go ahead and tell me that too! Criticism in all forms is accepted and loved by me, so don't be shy when you're writing a review. Let me have it! And in return, I'LL LET YOU HAVE IT! I mean chapter three… of course.)


	3. Herald

(Hello fans of Tekken! Coming up right here is the third chapter of The Return, and honestly seems like one of the more unusual chapters to me. I definitely enjoyed writing it, and it adds two new characters… sort of. One of the new characters is one that was already discussed last chapter, but the second ones completely new. This classic Tekken character doesn't get nearly as much attention or interest as she should be getting, so I think it's only fair that she make an extra special guest appearance here. So, please enjoy, and review away!)

**The Return**

**Chapter Three**

"Oh dammit!"

The floor turned a dark brown as coffee began to spill out of the small plastic cup that now lay across it. Stooping down to pick it up, the woman struggled to keep her purse strung over her already sore shoulder.

"Oh… Kazuya is going to be soooooo mad when he finds out I spilled coffee again."

Looking down at the mess she had just made, Jane silently cursed herself. Obviously her addiction to coffee and her clumsy disposition were not a fitting match for each other, especially considering her job title. Working directly under Kazuya Mishima as his personal secretary had its share of perks and prestige, it but also demanded a level of excellence that sometimes got to be ridiculous. This included not spilling hot cups of coffee every five minutes.

Just moments before, as she was getting ready to head home, Jane had stood up from her desk and accidentally elbowed the cup off its expensive coaster and straight onto the hard, granite floor.

"Thank goodness this isn't a carpet…" She muttered.

Jane picked up the cup, and then set it back down on the table it had just fallen from. Luckily, she had managed to pick it up before all of the liquid poured out, meaning the cup was still had a decent amount of liquid in it.

Of course, Jane didn't intend to drink anything that had fallen on the floor like that, but she was glad nonetheless. At least it didn't all spill out. Not like last time…

She walked out from behind her desk, high heels clicking as she traversed the smooth granite floor. She wore a black pencil skirt that reached down past her knees, and a matching black dress coat that conservatively hugged her body. It was her favorite outfit, one that she wore almost every single day to work.

She made sure every day to look presentable, but not too extravagant, for fear of being labeled as trashy, or unprofessional. Of course, very few people actually got to see her in person, for her office was located on floor number one hundred and twelve, right at the point where the Mishima Zaibatsu building stopped being a corporate workplace, and turned into a private residence.

When the building was built, which was a story that Jane was very familiar with, Kazuya demanded several things about the design, some of which being less obvious than others. For instance, he ordered that the first one hundred and eleven stories be corporate offices and workplaces, for his many, many employees and associates. The next eighty six floors were more private, mostly being designated for Kazuya himself and only his most trusted advisors. These floors housed experimental laboratories, vast computer processors, countless conference rooms, enormous theatres, and of course, combat testing platforms.

The final three floors of the building belonged exclusively to Kazuya Mishima himself, and they were three stories that few people ever got to see. They included Kazuya's private office, his sleeping quarters, workout rooms, and personal laboratories, which were where he spent most of his days. Kazuya rarely ventured out of these three floors, which was not unusual for him, but it bothered Jane nonetheless.

She had known Kazuya for a long time, and actually considered herself to be his top advisor. Starting from her time at the G Corporation, Jane had been serving Kazuya faithfully in all his endeavors, honorable or otherwise. Obviously the man scared her greatly, with his imposing figure and blunt, threatening decrees, but Jane was friendly nonetheless.

Back in high school, her friends used to joke that she was the happiest and most loving woman alive. They even joked that she could bring smile to Satan himself.

This was pretty ironic, because now that she had a job working under Kazuya Mishima, she sometimes joked that she was finally getting the opportunity to find out if she could…

As Jane continued to reminisce about all the time she had spent working under Kazuya, she reached her destination. A roll of paper towels was lying on a countertop across the room from her desk, and she quickly retrieved it, anxious to clean up her mess before anyone noticed.

Hurrying back across the room, Jane knelt down and ripped out a piece of the paper towel. She wiped up the mess, then threw away the paper, just as she had done many times before.

"Maybe I should start ordering lids for these things…" she mumbled to herself.

Now that her mess was cleaned up, Jane stood, and tossed the towels into a nearby trash can. She walked back behind her desk, and picked up her purse once again, throwing it over her shoulder. As usual, she had a million different things to carry, seeing as working for Kazuya Mishima was a full time job, and not one that simply ended when she left the office.

Adjusting her glasses, Jane picked up the bag of paperwork then slung it over her shoulder as well. Gripping her laptop in one hand and her cell phone in the other, and turned around to face the door. Next to the large, double doors, a red digital clock slowly blinked. It read; 11:39.

"Ugh… I should have left by now. Instead here I am, wiping up coffee in the middle of the night. Fantastic."

She slipped her phone into her pocket, then picked up a large backpack of electronic equipment and struggled to fit it over her shoulders. Once it was on, she knelt down and picked up her final piece; a binder of notes and memos.

Once it was firmly in her grasp, she sighed and slowly began to stand up. Every night for the past few years, Jane had gone home in this state, covered in bags, and buckling under their weight. Once she was fully upright, she looked around to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything.

"Let's see…binder, phone, paperwork, laptop, backpack, and purse… yep, got it all."

Just then, a loud crash sounded behind her.

It sounded like something metal slamming into wall, with all the force of a wild wrecking ball. Jane screamed and nearly jumped in the air.

"AHH! EEK!"

Reflexively spinning around, Jane looked to see what had made the sound.

As she spun, however, her elbow knocked into her coffee cup, and sent it falling to the ground. It hit the floor, and it's black contents spilled everywhere again, but Jane was barely paying attention to that. She was busy looking at the man that had just entered the room.

"Oh my! Mr. Mishima!"

Kazuya Mishima stood across the room, halfway through the large metal door he had just thrown open.

His face had a strange expression on it, one that seemed to be a mix of desperation and anger. Jane had only seen this expression once or twice in her life, so she knew that whatever Kazuya wanted, it was serious.

Slamming the door shut behind him, Kazuya walked menacingly across the room, then up to Jane's desk. She quickly dropped all the bags she was holding, then ran over to the desk and moved her rolling chair out of the way.

"What can I help you with Mr. Mishima?" she asked timidly.

Kazuya stopped in front of the desk, and slammed his fists down on the glass countertop.

"The woman you just sent up. Who was she." He demanded.

Jane adjusted her glasses, then hurriedly fixed her skirt. "You mean your eleven thirty appointment?"

Kazuya did not even reply. He just stared the woman in her eyes with an angry gleam in his eyes.

_Of course the damn eleven thirty appointment. Who else?_

Jane suddenly realized the obvious answer, then apologized. "Sorry Mr. Mishima. And yes, the woman from the eleven thirty appointment… well, I don't really have much information on her here."

"What do you mean."

Jane reached into her backpack and pulled out a large, hardcopy calendar. Unfolding it with both hands, she put it down on her desk and spun it around so Kazuya could see it. Many different boxes representing the different days of the month covered its pages, each one completely filled up with miniscule writing.

"For each day, I have devised a system of note taking that tells me exactly what appointments and events you have scheduled. Here, you can see today's date, and the eleven thirty appointment." She said as she pointed to one of the little boxes.

Kazuya looked down on the paper with a look of suspicion. There on the paper, in tiny writing, a message could be read; "11:30 PM meeting, Kazuya's office." _I don't care what stupid system this is. _He thought.

"Just tell me who she was." He stated bluntly.

Jane continued her speech exactly as she had before, as if she had not even heard Kazuya. "Here you can see that I have an eleven thirty meeting scheduled for your office, and this little red X here means that you were the one to personally make the appointment."

Kazuya scoffed at the marking and looked up at Jane.

"Jane. I don't give a shit what your stupid little X means. Now tell me who that woman was."

This time, Jane got the message. "I- I'm sorry Mr. Mishima, but the appointment doesn't list her name, age, description, or address anywhere. I have no idea who she was."

Now Kazuya was getting mad. "Why didn't you write that stuff down?" he asked angrily.

"I usually do. But I wasn't the one to make this appointment, Mr. Mishima. You were." Replied Jane in a weak tone.

Kazuya squinted his eyes and stared that the woman. He had had enough.

"Did you not see her enter the building."

"Well, yes, she walked right past me on the way up."

"Did she say anything."

"Yes. She said; "Mr. Mishima's eleven thirty is here" then walked right past me to the elevators."

"What did she look like?"

Jane put her hand over her mouth lightly, then looked off slightly to the right as she tried to remember the woman's appearance.

"Well… I didn't really pay much attention to her at the time, but I think she was wearing some kind of white dress."

"And…" Kazuya inquired.

"And… um… I think she had short, blackish hair. That's all I can remember, honest."

Kazuya grunted. Clearly Jane was being no help to him.

"If you don't mind me asking, Mr. Mishima, why are you so interested with this woman? What did she say to you upstairs? And why hasn't she come down yet?"

Kazuya looked surprised when he heard this. "What do you mean. She's not still upstairs."

Jane looked at her boss with a confused expression. "Well, she didn't pass through this room on her way out, so she must still be upstairs right? Either that or she jumped out of a window, Hahaha."

Kazuya was not laughing.

"Listen to me Jane. If you ever see this woman again, tell me immediately. Do not mention it to anyone else, and do not make any record of this conversation. Understood?"

"Got it sir." She gulped.

Kazuya abruptly turned around, and headed back the way she came. He opened the door with one hand, and stepped through quickly. Just as the door was about to shut behind him, he stopped it. Turning just his head to look back over his shoulder, he addressed his secretary one final time.

"And Jane…" he said.

Jane looked up with a hopeful expression on her face, the way Kazuya said her name almost made it seem like he was about to say something nice.

"Clean up that god damn coffee."

Jane's expression turned back to melancholy, then she nodded her head and sighed. "Yes… sir."

Kazuya shut the door behind him, and hurried up the stairs.

Reaching again for her handy roll of paper towels, Jane silently laughed to herself.

"Damn you, caffeine…"

…

…

…

Kazuya angrily pressed the button for the top floor, and then held out his hand as yet another machine read his palm and identified him. It blinked blue, then the elevator began to move. He watched as the counter above the door changed from floor to floor as it rose, climbing higher and higher through the building.

Crossing his arms, Kazuya reflected on the new developments regarding his mystery visitor.

_Jane says the woman never left, which means she must still be in my office. It seems ridiculous, but I never did check the other rooms on my way down here. Maybe she's still there…_

Just then, the elevator sounded a loud ding. He had arrived. The entire trip, up nearly eighty floors, took about ten seconds to complete.

The door in front of him slid open, and Kazuya stepped out. He started walking down the hallway, eager to reach his destination. After several seconds of walking, he found himself back at the black door that led to his office. He held out his hand to be scanned, then emotionlessly watched as the door slid open.

The room was dark, just as he had left it. He clapped once, and the overhead lights turned on, illuminating his office. Stepping inside, Kazuya let the door slide shut behind him. Everything was eerily quiet as he observed his office, making sure every inch of it was clear.

Just as he had anticipated, it was empty.

_I know you're here…_ he thought to himself.

Kazuya walked to the desk and put one hand on it, balancing himself. He looked down at the phone, noticing that the receiver was off the hook.

_That's not how I left it…_

He picked up the phone and brought it to his ear.

Nothing but static.

Placing the phone back in its place, he continued to search the room. The digital clock on the wall read; 11:45. Usually at this time of night, Kazuya was getting ready to sleep, tonight, it was anything but.

Cautiously turning away from the desk, Kazuya made his way over to his bedroom. The black door slid open, and he stepped inside. This room was also dark, which he fixed by clapping his hands. More lights turned on, and he looked around the still slightly darkened room.

In the middle of the room was an enormous bed, with rounded edges and several layers of mattresses. A single velvet sheet covered the bed, and a single white pillow perched at the top completed the picture. Across from the bed was a small desk, one that had a matching chair positioned in front of it. Nothing was on the desktop, other than the intricate wooden box he used to store his gloves. To the right of the bed was another door, this one leading to his changing room.

_There's no one here… they must be in the changing room._

Kazuya slowly approached the door, and held his fists up in a mobile fighting stance. As he got closer to the door, he saw a strange white light emanating from beneath it.

_That's the same light from before…_

Once he got close enough to the door, it began to slide open automatically. Kazuya took the opportunity, and rushed inside, fists held high, ready to unleash their fury. The lights turned on as he entered, this room being lit by motion activated sensors instead of clapping.

Kazuya quickly glanced from side to side as he viewed the room. The far wall was taken up by a large, walk-in closet, whose door hung open. To the right of the closet was a small opening in the side of the wall, which served as his laundry chute. On the one remaining side, Kazuya saw a large full-size mirror.

_There's nobody here either…_

He lowered his fighting stance, and walked slowly over to the closet on the far side of the room.

_I need to stop letting my imagination get the best of me. There's nobody here, there can't be. The woman must have walked past Jane while the idiot wasn't looking, probably cleaning up more spilled coffee, as usual._

He unbuttoned his black vest, then threw it across the room, where it landed perfectly in the laundry chute. Next he started unbuttoning his shirt.

_As the head of a worldwide business organization, I can't afford to get all worked up over such a stupid problem. My phone was probably malfunctioning when that message came through, nothing more._

Taking off his shirt and throwing that down the chute as well, he slipped out of his dress pants and put on a pair of black velvet sleeping pants. Just like all of Kazuya's other outfits, he wore these same pants to bed almost every single night, and owned several dozen pairs of them.

_And the voice I heard, that couldn't have been real. I must have imagined it… The real eleven thirty appointment probably got lost on her way up. That's all. The idiot woman is probably wandering around the lower levels right this second. Like a lost puppy dog. Pathetic…_

Settling on this as the final solution, Kazuya threw his black dress pants down the chute, then walked back into the main changing room. He stopped in front of the mirror, and observed himself. Staring back at Kazuya was a face full of disinterest. His wore a slight frown, as he always did, and his piercing eyes gazed back towards themselves.

His one red eye, located on the left side of his face, was a constant reminder of his dark past. It represented his Devil Gene, a genetic modification in his body that enabled him to possess extraordinary strength and agility under dire circumstances. In some extreme situations, it even caused him to change his form entirely, during which his body would undergo metamorphosis, and become a dark, scaly demon.

Sprouting wings and a long, devilish tail, Kazuya would assume this form very rarely, and only when it was absolutely necessary. Sometimes the Devil within would sway his judgments, but most of the time, Kazuya was able to remain in control. He only chose to accept the devil because of the extraordinary strength it gave him.

_My son thinks this Devil Gene is a curse… but he is wrong. It is the greatest thing to ever happen to a human being, and he should consider himself lucky to possess it within his veins._

Kazuya turned away from the mirror, facing towards the far wall. He turned his head to the side sharply, and several popping noises could be heard. Next he stretched out his shoulders, which led to even more popping and crackling noises. Finally he locked his fingers together, turned them around, and pushed outwards. They made more popping sounds as he cracked his knuckles. This was something Kazuya liked to do every night before he got in bed, mainly because it made him feel limber and relaxed.

But just then, as he was about to walk out of the room, he heard a noise. Not a noise, really… it was more of a voice.

At first it was too quiet to discern what was being said, but Kazuya was able to notice it regardless.

Looking around the room carefully, Kazuya searched for the source of the voice. However, the room refused to give up any answers. Just when he was about to give up, he heard the voice again, this time, it was much clearer.

"_Kazuya…"_ It whispered.

"Who's there?" He demanded.

"Kazuya…" the voice continued. "Turn around."

Spinning on his heels, Kazuya turned to look behind him. He came face to face with the wall-size mirror.

And there, staring back at Kazuya, was a reflection that was not his own.

It was the reflection of a woman.

She was dressed entirely in white, with a long, flowing dress that reached from her neck to her ankles. The dress did not cover her shoulders, but instead exposed her pale white skin, which looked impossibly smooth and immaculate. She wore two white, silk bracers on each arm, lightly draped over her wrists and hands.

In addition to her perfectly clear skin, the woman had a flowing head of brilliantly shining blonde hair. It was medium length, tied delicately back behind her head with a thin, silver jewelry string. The jewelry circled her head like a halo, creating the impression that the woman was an angel of sorts.

Gracefully cascading down from her shoulder was a short green olive branch, the universal symbol of peace. And finally, bringing the ensemble full circle, the woman had two, gloriously white wings protruding from her back. They were folded shut, but imbued beauty and grace nonetheless.

Kazuya looked at the woman in the mirror for a moment with surprise, and then his eyes narrowed.

"You…" He said.

The woman looked back at him, refusing to smile, but still giving off peaceful and loving vibes with her face.

"Please Kazuya… it has been so long…"

"Not long enough." He muttered.

The woman blinked slowly, then returned her gaze back to the man she was addressing. Kazuya's gaze refused to submit as well, starting a sort of a staring contest.

"So you do recognize me."

"I wish I didn't… Angel."

The woman's name was Angel. In reality, she could barely even be called a woman, or a human being for that matter. While she did resemble a beautiful human female in her visible form, the true form of Angel was actually a fragmented consciousness that resided deep in Kazuya's soul.

After he had first contracted the Devil Gene, Kazuya found his head to be full of the thoughts of a demonic spirit, one that craved death, and sometimes forced him to do unspeakable things. The Devil spoke frequently, tempting its host with promises of power and hatred, often involving the destruction of others.

But just when Kazuya thought his soul was lost, he received another spirit.

This one, who identified herself as The Angel, or simply Angel, represented the antithesis of Kazuya's darker side. She acted as his moral compass, helping him and compelling him to righteousness, even while the malevolent Devil within him called for blood.

For years, these two spirits; Devil and Angel, had fought against one another in Kazuya's mind. Sometimes the Angel would prevail, and Kazuya would act with compassion, or sometimes the Devil would win, causing him to commit heinous acts. While the scale of his soul tilted perpetually forward and backwards, Kazuya grew insane. The constant voices and fragments in his head caused him to lose sleep, to hallucinate, and sometimes even to black out.

Finally, after putting up with the torture for years and years, Kazuya ended it all. He did so by forcing Angel out of his mind, and expelling Her to the darkness. During this period, Kazuya's Devil ruled unopposed and unrestricted. It was with the Devil that Kazuya had fought in many of the tournaments, and it was with that same Devil that he spent most of his adult life.

Following the expulsion of Angel, he thought that he had finally rid himself of the pesky spirit. So now, nearly thirty years later, he felt shock beyond comprehension at the sight of her figure in the mirror.

Angel had returned.

"What do you want." He said through gritted teeth.

"What I've always wanted, Kazuya… you."

"Well you can't have me. I'm not your puppet, anymore. I make my own decisions."

Angel nodded slowly, and diverted her gaze to the floor.

"Do you…? Does this mean you've finally stopped taking orders from Him?"

Clearly Angel was referring to the Devil Gene, which Kazuya was able to pick up on.

"I'm in control of the Devil now. Only me."

"Oh Kazuya… I wish that were true…"

Kazuya did not reply, but simply crossed his arms and stared back at the reflection of the Angel. During her many years of banishment, he had grown to loathe the woman, and all she stood for. In Kazuya's eyes, she did not represent peace or righteousness, but instead weakness and frailty.

Finally, he spoke. "I thought I got rid of you long ago."

"You did…" she replied in a defeated tone.

"So how did you return."

Angel turned her head slightly to the side, breaking eye contact once again.

"Someone brought me here... someone far more powerful than I am."

"And who would that be." Asked Kazuya in a mocking tone.

"You will see soon enough."

"What's that supposed to mean."

"The reason I am here, Kazuya, is to announce her. I am but the herald."

Kazuya's eyes narrowed further as he suspiciously eyed the woman in front of him. _I don't like this. _

Angel continued; "I am not a fool, Kazuya. I know you hate me… I know you arte sickened by my presence… and I know that you think I am weak. This much is clear to me."

_Indeed…_

"But…" she said, "The reason for my existence is to guide you, Kazuya, and to nurture the goodness that is still left in your heart."

"There is no such thing in my heart."

"But you are wrong about that. I know there is still good in you. There always will be. And although He tries to bury it under hatred and aggression, it cannot be destroyed. It can only be muffled."

Kazuya was not impressed. "Did you come here just to lecture me?"

"No, Kazuya. Like I said, I came here to herald the arrival of another. One that is much more powerful than me."

"What do you mean by that."

"Over your mind, I hold little influence. Practically none, at that. This is why I am weak; it is because you do not let me in… and you never have…"

Kazuya did not respond.

"But the one that will come after me… she is different. She holds a place in your heart that I only wish I could possess."

"No one holds power over me."

"She does…"

"Tell me who this woman is. Now."

"You will meet her soon enough… in fact, you might already have."

Kazuya's mind flickered to thoughts of the phone message, and to memories of the mysterious eleven thirty appointment. _It can't be her… can it?_

"When have I known her." He asked

"Long, long ago… and right now. Truth be told, she never truly left you in the first place. She has merely waited."

"Waited for what."

Angel ignored Kazuya's question, then continued her tirade in a different direction.

"She will come to you, and she will do what I have failed to accomplish. She will nurture the good in you, just like she did all those years ago… she will save you."

"Tell me now. Who is this woman? I said tell me now!"

Ignoring Kazuya's rage, Angel delivered her final message.

"Kazuya… my Kazuya. I am so sorry for failing you all these years. I simply was not strong enough to save you, and it saddens me to no end to realize this. But now there is hope. This woman, this savior, she will take my role. No longer will I appear before you Kazuya… those days are done. Consider this our final meeting."

"Good!" He yelled.

"She will become your new angel. Then she will do everything I have failed to do… and more…"

Angel turned her gaze away from Kazuya, and slowly began to fade away.

Kazuya's fists clenched, and he angrily addressed the reflection. "Do not disappear! Tell me who this woman is! NOW!"

Ignoring her host's furious demands, The Angel continued to disappear. Her glorious white frame faded slowly, letting the light that previously engulfed the room slip away into darkness. Kazuya was frantic with anger now, nearly ready to punch the mirror in front of him.

"Tell me!" He yelled.

Angel, now nearly vanished from view, turned to face Kazuya just one more time. He had to squint in order to see her clearly, and was just barely able to make out the shape of her mouth moving as she spoke her final words.

"Please be good to her…. She has been so good to you…"

Finally, in one blur of grey, the image of Angel vanished.

Kazuya was left alone in the room, staring deep into a mirror that seemed to reflect nothing. His fests slowly unclenched, but his anger remained.

Now that the room had lost its bright white light, Kazuya realized just how dark it was.

_I haven't seen Her over two decades… how dare She return to me? How dare She come back to me like this, treating me like a child! It's pathetic!_

Kazuya turned away from the mirror, and rubbed his forehead with one hand.

_That fool is just trying to scare me… trying to hold me back, like She's done for years and years. That's been Her way… to weaken me, to slow me down, to ruin my potential. She should know by now that I alone am in control. Not some stupid Devil, and definitely not some pathetic little winged pest._

Kazuya removed his hand from his head, then clapped his hands once, instantly turning all the lights off. He faced the door to his bedroom, and walked defiantly towards it Then he stepped into his bedroom and approached the bed.

Climbing into bed, he slid himself under the single sheet, and pulled the pillow under his head. Lying on his back, Kazuya stared intently at the ceiling, feeling completely wide awake.

_I'm glad She's gone. Maybe if I'm lucky, and She was telling the truth, I won't ever have to see Her pathetic image again._

Looking back on his experiences with Angel, he felt only annoyance.

_And what She said about the Devil… She's wrong. I am in control. Only me._

Even as he thought it, Kazuya felt a tang of doubt. The Devil had overwhelmed Kazuya's mind many times before, and just because He wasn't in control at the moment, didn't mean that He would stay away forever. The Devil inside was a very unpredictable spirit, one that usually struck without warning, and without mercy.

_But things are different now. I know that He will always be inside of me, but it is simply a bothersome little side effect that I must endure, in order to use His power._

In Kazuya's mind, the benefits of the Devil far outweighed its drawbacks, which was good enough of a reason for him to accept the sprit. But when it came to Angel, he saw no benefits whatsoever, and simply viewed her as a nuisance. As far as Kazuya was concerned, logic was defined power.

_After all… power is everything._

Continuing to stare at the ceiling, Kazuya examined Angel's words more closely.

_Who is this woman that she spoke of? Someone I used to know… that will return to me. There is only one woman who comes to mind, but it's not her. It simply cannot be. Such a thought is ludicrous._

Turning over in his bed, Kazuya tried desperately to get the thoughts out of his mind.

_I'm not going to start losing sleep over _this_. I refuse._

But this was one time that Kazuya was definitely wrong. With thoughts and memories of days gone by flowing through his head, there was little chance of him getting any sleep that night.

And so after hours of waiting and thinking, Kazuya finally got lucky, and drifted off to sleep.

**End Chapter Three**

(Well, if you thought that I was finally going to introduce Jun in this chapter, and you're steaming mad at me right now, then I apologize. Hahaha hey, just to be fair, I never explicitly said she would be here. Instead I went with good ol' Angel, and gave her a little cameo appearance. Like I said in the first AN, Angel really doesn't seem to get much love from the Tekken fan base, so I decided to throw her in for kicks. She won't be coming back anytime soon, so if you really hate her, don't worry about it. Anyway, if you have any thoughts about the story, please say so in the reviews section. And maybe if you review the story… then I'll finally put Jun in it! Who knows? Maybe I will. Maybe I won't. But I probably will…. Or will I?)


	4. The Return

(IT'S FINALLY HERE! THE CHAPTER YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR! Finally making her debut appearance, Jun Kazama, the subject of this whole damn story, comes to the forefront. To tell you the truth, this chapter was one of the most fun things I've ever had the pleasure of writing. Personally I think it turned out fantastic, albeit a little on the long side. Its 11,000 words long because IT'S JAM PACKED WITH AMAZING THINGS! Not only do we have the introduction of Jun, but I also squeezed in another, totally new Tekken character to the story, one that I know is a personally favorite of people on this website… And in addition to that, I also introduced a new OC character! All in all, this is a really great chapter. If you plan on just skimming your way through this and just going straight for the part where Jun shows up, please don't. Read it all the way through, as its meant to be read, and enjoy the hell out of it! There will big plot developments and A HUGE PLOT TWIST about halfway through. It's going to be great! But before you all go thinking I'm a narcissistic asshole who thinks I'm the best writer ever, I am not. This story would not be getting written if it weren't for the consistent views of people like YOU. And for that, you have my upmost respect and gratitude! THANK YOU! And now… without any further ado, enjoy the story!)

**The Return**

**Chapter Four**

The alarm blared to life. Spurting all forms of deafening sounds imaginable, it abruptly woke Kazuya Mishima from his slumber, and returned him to the world of the waking.

Smacking the alarm device with one outstretched hand, Kazuya slowly opened his eyes and looked around him. He was in bed, in his private office, on the two hundredth floor of the Mishima Zaibatsu building. Exactly where he wanted to be.

_Or was it?_

Along with many other things, his own satisfaction and personal goals were two topics that Kazuya sent most of his night thinking about. Following the strange meeting with Angel, new feelings of uncertainty and confusion had visited him during the night, which were emotions he hardly remembered ever experiencing.

Looking back on his long life, Kazuya had always thought that he wanted power. Power over his enemies, power over the corporate world, power over his father, power over his son, power over the world, all these and more had acted as Kazuya's driving force throughout his lifetime, which was a force he hardly ever questioned.

_But is it all truly worth it? _He asked himself as he leaned over the side of his bed and got to his feet._ Why do I feel this carnal need for power all the time?_

All around him, symbols of the immense power and control that Kazuya had gathered stared down at him. From the technologically advanced devices that littered the walls to the sprawling city in view below him, Kazuya owned it all.

He was the head of a worldwide business organization that controlled not only all economic aspects of planet earth but also all militaristic and political aspects. The few politicians and military officials that were not directly loyal to Kazuya were either being bribed or intimidated, all for the purpose of asserting Mishima dominance.

Truly, Kazuya was the most powerful man on earth.

_But for some reason… I'm still not satisfied. It's like there's something more that I am missing from my life…_

Kazuya tried desperately to push the thoughts out of his head as he entered his changing room and changed into his purple and black vest. Donning his classic business attire, Kazuya made his way into the main office and over to his desk. He glanced briefly out the window, reminding himself of the vast empire he controlled.

_So much power… so much wealth… I should be happy._

Kazuya sat down in his desk chair, and then quietly waited as it pulled him in automatically. Once he was situated behind the desk, he took a deep breath and prepared to tackle the day.

He leaned over to a nearby control panel and pressed one of the many small buttons there, this one being a tiny brown one. As soon as his finger left the button, a tiny ding sounded off, and the front door to his office slid open.

Standing in the doorway was a young Japanese woman in a white Mishima Zaibatsu servant's uniform. She was holding a large tray with both hands, and when the door opened, she hastily entered the office.

Walking directly up to the front of Kazuya's desk, she bowed once, showing her respect, then held out the tray in front of her. Kazuya barely even noticed the woman at all, but lazily stretched out a hand and reached onto the tray. He grabbed the only thing on the tray; a large tea cup, and picked it up off the dish.

He took one sip of the scalding hot tea, then set the cup down on his desk. Seeing this, the woman bowed again, then quickly scuttled backwards out of the room. When she passed through the doorframe, the automatic door slid shut behind her.

This was Kazuya's routine every morning for most of his life. He demanded the absolute best tea each morning, and made sure that it was personally delivered to him. The servant who had just dropped off the tea had probably been standing at his door patiently for hours holding that tray, simply waiting for Kazuya to press the brown button.

Taking one more sip of the tea, Kazuya put down the cup and outstretched one hand towards the phone. He pressed a large black button, then leaned back in his chair. The phone began to ring, and after two of the ringtones, the person on the other end picked up.

"Good morning Mr. Mishima!" Said a cheery voice on the other end.

"Jane…" replied Kazuya.

"Yes?" she answered.

"My schedule." He asked, taking another sip of the tea.

On the other end of the line, Jane could be heard flipping through papers and hastily pulling her schedule binder out. After three brief seconds of this, Jane responded.

"Right now it is 9:50 AM on the dot. Your breakfast has already arrived I presume?"

Kazuya looked down at his steaming cup of tea, then back at the phone. _Of course._ He thought. Kazuya had never been much of an eater, insisting instead that food would simply make him gain unnecessary weight, and ruin his physique. Thus, every day he chose to have exactly one cup of tea when he rose, simply because he wanted something to wake him up, not because he was thirsty.

Jane took Kazuya's silence as an affirmative, and then continued with her recounting of the schedule. "At 10:00 AM you have strength and agility training in the gym, which lasts until 12:20. Then, you are scheduled to have sparring practice with Mr. Chaolan's fighters, but I understand that some complications have arisen there… Is that true?"

"Lee has run out of sparring partners for me. They currently all reside in the medical bay."

"Ouch…" muttered Jane. She knew what that meant. Kazuya must have broken a few too many bones by accident. "Understood. So, without the training session in your schedule anymore, you have one open hour to kill, sir. Is there anything specific I should write in for that time?"

Kazuya thought for a moment, then replied. "Rally the Mishima High Guard. I will be holding a full inspection."

"Inspecting the troops? I do not mean to offend, Mr. Mishima, but you inspected the High Guard just two days ago. Do they really need to be inspected again?"

"Certain soldiers tend to let their guard down immediately after inspections because they think they are in the clear. I will be conducting this inspection to find exactly who those soldiers are, then weed them out. Inform Captain Sokol that his men will be inspected, but do not do so until ten minutes before I arrive. I want to catch them by surprise."

Jane gulped, thinking ahead of the terrible fate that awaited the soldiers who Kazuya would be inspecting. "Oh… very well sir. I will notify Captain Sokol at exactly 1:30 PM, then schedule your arrival at exactly 1:40 PM. Is this acceptable?"

"Yes."

"Very well… so with the guard inspection now factored into your schedule, you have a business meeting with top executives of your South American branch scheduled for exactly 3:00, which will end at 4:30."

Kazuya's eyes narrowed. He hated having to deal with the idiotic businessmen, but regardless, he knew it was necessary. In order to keep this leviathan of a company afloat, he needed to be in constant communication with all of his top advisors and executives.

"Do I have anything scheduled after that." He asked.

"Well, yes sir. You do. Tonight is the annual Mishima Zaibatsu inaugural gala. Your helicopter will be arriving on the roof to pick us up at 6:30 sharp."

"Us?"

"Us. I'm coming too. And so is Mr. Chaolan and Captain Sokol."

"Why."

"Captain Sokol, Mr. Chaolan, and myself are the only three people in the entire Zaibatsu that report directly to you, Mr. Mishima. This places us very high up on the hierarchy of the company. And if the inaugural gala is meant to celebrate the Zaibatsu as a whole, so it would be improper for us not to attend."

Kazuya scowled. He hated anyone to be considered his equal, or even close to that.

"Besides, I have been the one who put the event together anyway, it is necessary that I attend simply to make sure that everything goes smoothly." She added.

"Fine."

"Very well, Mr. Mishima. The gala will last until approximately 12:00 midnight, at which point we will be taken back here via helicopter again. That is your full report for the day."

"Jane…" Kazuya started.

"Yes?" she replied.

"I detest these pathetic gala parties. You and I both know that the entire night will be taken up by foolish businessmen talking to me and disgusting women vainly attempting to attract me. Give me one reason to actually even bother attending at all."

Jane was silent on the other end. Then she spoke. "Well… I understand your position, sir. But I also think you should consider just for the sake of yourself."

"Explain." He demanded.

"Mr. Mishima, I fear that you are overworking yourself. Not once since I started working for you have I ever noticed you stop to revel in the things you've accomplished. This party will be all about you, sir. After all, you are the guest of honor. Just for one night, might I suggest that you cut back a little bit and enjoy yourself? It might be fun if you give it a chance…"

Kazuya leaned forward and looked angrily at the phone. "Listen to me, Jane. I am your superior. That means I do not take orders from you. And that includes idiotic advice as well. This notion of "having fun" might seem like a novel concept to you, but I assure you that I am not amused. I am the head of a multi-billion dollar corporation right now, and that is exactly who I intend to be twenty years from now. Partying and cutting loose is not how one achieves that goal, understood?"

"Yes… sir." Said Jane timidly. She already regretted saying what she did.

"As of right now, I see no reason whatsoever to attend this pitiful gathering. Write me down as not attending."

"Yes… sir." She said even more quietly.

Kazuya slammed the phone back down on its receiver, and spun around in his chair. Looking out on the vast city before him, he felt no regret at his decision.

_Those galas are all the same; endless seas of groveling businessmen and classes whores all gathering in one place to celebrate their own stupidity. It's pathetic._

Kazuya stood up from his chair and walked out to the front of his desk. Before he did so, however, he pressed the small brown button again, and the door shot open. The same servant from before came hurrying in, picking up the still-warm cup of tea, then rushing back out of the room.

Kazuya walked into his bedroom, then into the changing room.

_Jane is a damn good assistant, but sometimes she can be an utter idiot. She should know better than to lecture me. The fool…_

He walked up to the closet, then changed quickly into his white workout pants and red foot guards.

_Now I have to deal with a boring two hour training course, an inevitably disappointing guard inspection, and a grueling business meeting. What a day…_

Clearly annoyed now, Kazuya stepped out of the changing room and over to his small wooden desk. Placing both index fingers on the hidden sensor pads, he opened the box, and slipped on his favorite red gloves.

_And on top of all that, I can't seem to shake these weird feelings. Why now, after all these years, am I feeling like true power is not what I want? It should be exactly what I want! It is exactly what I have!_

Kazuya stomped out of the bedroom and into his office. He walked over to the door and watched as it slid open in front of him.

_Power is everything. I just need to remember that. _

_Power. Is. Everything._

Stepping through the doorway, Kazuya turned to face down the hall, then walked angrily towards his training practice.

…

…

(Two and a half hours later.)

…

…

Kazuya stepped out of the workout room, covered in sweat from head to toe. His hands were sore from pounding punching bags and wooden targets. His feet were tired from sprinting around his private track course. His shoulders were numb from bench pressing. His feet were bloodied from kicking metal targets and dummies. It truly was a hard workout.

Wrapping a towel over his shoulder, he began walking down the hall towards his office, where he would change into his purple and black vest. Then, he was off for a surprise inspection of his troops.

_Time to weed out the incompetent ones. _He thought.

…

…

(One hour and fifty minutes later.)

…

…

Kazuya stepped into the front entrance of the Mishima Zaibatsu building. He was flanked by two soldiers dressed in menacing black and red uniforms. They were the commanding officers of the Mishima High Guard. Kazuya stopped walking, and then turned to the one on the left.

"Captain Sokol is no longer with us. His failures have been made clear to me today, and thus I have officially… terminated him from the position." Kazuya paused to crack his knuckles. "So, Lieutenant Reike, I am promoting you to the position of Captain. The Mishima High Guard is now under your direct command."

The man standing next to Kazuya bowed. "I will serve you with honor sir."

"Listen, Reike." He said. "The only reason you're getting this promotion is because your commanding officer turned out to fail me. Should you do the same, I will not hesitate to end you. I trust you do not want to end up like Sokol did, do you?"

"Of course not, sir." Answered Captain Reike.

"Good." Said Kazuya. Then, turning away from the newly appointed captain, he walked through the main reception room and towards his elevator. His business meeting was next.

…

…

(Two and a half hours later.)

…

…

Kazuya stepped out of the conference room and slammed the door behind him. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his state-of-the-art cell phone and checked the LCD display. It read; 5:30. His hour and a half business meeting ended up running late, and the whole ordeal took two and a half hours to finish.

_Those idiots! It's like they can't even tie their damn shoes without me! Two and a half hours… completely wasted by ridiculous questions and foolish proposals!_

Kazuya pressed a button on his cell phone, and then held it up to his ear.

"Hello?" came a strong voice on the other end of the line. It was the newly appointed Captain Reike.

"There are a half dozen idiotic businessmen currently residing in a conference room on floor number one hundred and seventy. I want them escorted out of the building immediately. Do not be polite. Understand?"

"Yes sir, Mr. Mishima. My men are en route."

Kazuya hung up the phone and slipped it down into his pocket. Then he turned away from the conference room and angrily stormed down the hallway. As he walked, he reflected on the same thoughts that had been plaguing him all day.

_I am the most powerful man alive… not a single human being on earth can challenge me now. And yet, I am not happy. As much as I try to convince myself that I am, a part of me deep down knows the truth. Something is wrong._

He continued down the hallway, and as he went, he started to hear soft voices from a room nearby. A normal human being could not have heard the voices, but Kazuya's abnormal skills and years of training had produced a body capable of incredible feats. Among those was enhanced hearing.

_That sounds like a man and a woman… and they sound familiar._

Kazuya slowed down his angry stomping and came to a halt right outside one of the doors. It was identical to the other white doors found throughout his building, but unlike his office door, this one was not soundproof.

He crept slowly up to the door and pressed his ear against it, craning to hear the people inside.

_I know those voices… _ he thought.

The voices were muffled, but Kazuya was able to make them out nonetheless.

"…right now? But look at the time…" said the woman.

"…oh forget about the time. All you ever talk about is the time, you beautiful creature…" replied the man in a smooth, suggestive voice.

Kazuya's eyes narrowed a she listened closer. Clearly these two were about to engage in sexual relations right there in HIS building.

_How dare they!? _He fumed.

"…he can't find out…" the woman said.

"…he won't. Besides, he's not even going tonight. You know what he said…"

"Hehehe… I know…"

Kazuya's eyes narrowed. _Are they talking about me?_

"…now come on baby. We've got some time to kill…"

"… oh! Behave yourself… hehehe…"

_It's them… I can tell by the sound of their voices. It's them…_

"…oh… god you look beautiful in that dress… I bet you're even hotter with it off…"

"…hehe, well why don't we find out…hm?"

_I knew it was them… I knew it! I've put up with this shit for long enough! The time has come to end it!_

"Yeah baby… I just wanna-"

BOOM!

The door broke off its hinges and fell clattering to the floor. The man and woman inside the room were completely unprepared as it fell, freaking out and nearly falling over themselves in surprise.

"EEK!" screamed the woman.

"What the hell?!" yelled the man.

Kazuya walked through the blown out door and entered the room with his arms crossed. Stepping over an expensive pair of suit pants, a belt, a bra, and a pair of white, high heeled shoes lying on the ground, he came to a stop right in front of the main bed.

It was a bedroom, one of the many sleeping quarters that were given to employees of the Mishima Zaibatsu. This one was slightly more elaborate and fancy than the other ones, however, because of who resided in it.

The man on the bed quickly stood up with a horrified expression on his face. "K-K-K-Kazuya! I didn't-"

"Lee… shut up." said Kazuya.

The silver haired man quietly stepped backwards and held his hands over his head. He did not speak another word.

Lee's pants were off, exposing his bare legs and a pair of short, red boxers. On his chest he wore a disheveled, expensive suit top, which was matched by equally expensive shoes on his feet. His usually well-kept hair was ruffled and messy, indicating that somebody had been playing with it. Kazuya knew exactly who that person was.

"And you… Jane."

The woman looked timidly up at her boss, half-naked and covering her chest with the bed sheets she was sitting on. Her expensive dress was all white, and it would have looked quite elegant, had it not already been pulled nearly all the way off her body.

Kazuya looked at the pair of them in complete silence, then scowled slightly. He had a terrible, devilish look on his face.

Lee broke Kazuya's orders and quietly tried to speak. "Please, Kazuya, this is not what it looks like…"

Kazuya, whose attention was focused on Jane, slowly turned to face Lee.

"Please… just let me explain, I swear, this is not what you think it is!"

Kazuya uncrossed his arms and walked quickly up to Lee. He grabbed him by the collar and yanked him up into the air. Slamming Lee hard into the wall nearby, Kazuya pulled his face close up to Lee's, and stared him in the eye.

"Okay, Lee. Say that again."

Lee gulped and tried in vain to free himself from Kazuya's iron grip as he recovered from his head being slammed into the wall. Already he could tell it was bleeding. "I said- I said- me and Jane were not about to-"

Kazuya pulled back on Lee's collar, then slammed him into the wall again. Blood began to trickle out and wet his smooth, silvery hair.

"Try again!" Kazuya yelled.

A small tear formed at the corner of Lee's eye, then he broke down completely.

"I'm sorry Kazuya! It-it is what it looks like!"

"And?"

"And it is what you think it is!" he stammered

"And?"

"And me and Jane were about to do it! We were! I'm sorry!"

Kazuya laughed once, sharply and gruffly. Then he let go of Lee's collar and watched as the pathetic man slid down to the floor, where he landed with a thud.

Then he turned around and looked at Jane, who was now standing up, and desperately putting her bra back on.

"And you." He said.

Jane looked up with an expression of sheer terror on her face.

"I want to ask you something too. Do not lie to me Jane."

Jane shakily stood her ground, then braced herself for the question as if it was a punch.

"How long has it been going on?" he asked.

"Two months, sir…" she gulped.

"I see… and did you honestly think I wouldn't find out?"

"I… I… I don't know, sir."

"What do you mean, you don't know?"

Jane looked down at the ground, then back at Kazuya. "I just didn't think… sir. It all happened so quickly, I got caught up in it all and lost track of things…"

"Interesting." He replied as he crossed his arms again. "That's more like it."

Kazuya spun around and faced Lee again. The man was now leaning up against the wall, clutching the back of his head with a bloody hand.

"That was honest. That was truthful. That's what I want." Said Kazuya as he walked to the door, bent down, and picked up Lee's pants.

"Jane didn't bullshit me." he continued. "She told me the truth, and nothing more. That's not what you did, Lee."

Lee wiped more blood away from his head, then looked up at his boss.

"You're pathetic. And you need to get your act together fast if you still want work for me, understood?" Said Kazuya.

"Yes sir." Replied Lee.

"Now, let's try something else. How is the Kevlar project coming along?"

Lee looked back down at the ground, thought for a moment, then replied. "Um- the- the Kevlar is coming along on schedule… but we haven't made much progress. The… uh… costs have rose dramatically, but with minimal results… sir."

Lee covered his head with his arms and winced, bracing himself to be hit. But no hit came. Instead, Kazuya stood perfectly still.

"That's better." He said. Then he tossed Lee's pants at the man, and watched as they landed over his head.

"Put those on. You have a gala to attend, do you not?"

"Yes, sir." Replied Lee.

"Then get dressed, now. And as for you…" Kazuya dramatically spun around and pointed one finger at Jane, who had now gotten her dress back on. "You're going too, right?"

Jane nodded in agreement.

"Good. Then you had better hurry with those shoes. The helicopter will be arriving shortly."

Then Kazuya turned around and faced the door. He walked over to it, and stepped outside. Finally he spun around once more, and faced the embarrassed couple inside.

"Listen, you two. I think it's safe to say that you're both idiots. Trying to play with each other behind my back is stupid enough for the average employee, but when it's my two top advisors, you would have to be retarded to think I wouldn't know. If you want the honest truth, I knew the whole time."

Jane looked down at the floor and put her hands behind her back, visibly ashamed. Lee just sat there like a sack of flour.

"And it is completely unacceptable. My staff does not do this. My staff is professional and organized, understand? I will be having a meeting with you two soon to discuss discipline."

He paused to look down at the broken door that lay across the floor, then back at Lee.

"That's coming out of your paycheck." He said.

Then, without saying another word, he turned around, and walked to the nearest elevator, leaving the disrupted lovers behind.

…

…

(Five minutes later)

…

…

Kazuya pressed his hand on the sensor pad and waited while it confirmed his identity. The pad blinked green, then sounded off a soft ding. The door slid open and Kazuya stepped inside his office.

_Old habits die hard I suppose... Lee just can't seem to get it through his head that his days of womanizing are over. And now he's crossed the line by going for my personal secretary. It's just pathetic._

Walking past his desk, Kazuya approached the full size window, and peered out of it.

_Honestly I don't care that they're a "couple". As long as all their work gets done on time, it makes no difference to me. Jane has been acting perfectly normal, so I can't say that I'm upset by her. The work she puts in for me and for the company is absolutely invaluable._

Looking down on the city, he saw nothing of interest.

_But Lee… that fool is a different story. He has continuously disappointed me since the moment he joined me. Something is wrong with him. Usually he is a genius! A technological innovator and mastermind of robotics. That's how he's always been during the tournaments anyway. It seems like as soon as I picked him up, the man suddenly lost his drive to be intelligent. But why?_

Kazuya continued to stare down at the city, occasionally eyeing a passing jet plane or monorail.

_Why has he suddenly lost all of his abilities? Perhaps… perhaps it is because his work environment has changed. All these years, Lee has always been a ladies man… what if that part of his personality has become essential to his productivity? Maybe that is the key to unlocking his normal success._

Just then, Kazuya saw a small glowing speck appear in the sky to his right. It was terribly small and far off, but he was still able to identify it as a helicopter.

_Maybe I was a little hard on those two… Perhaps if I relented a bit on Lee… just backed off slightly and allowed him to act like he normally did… it might change his attitudes about work. If I let him and Jane continue their "secretive" relations, then I bet he would start performing better in those labs. It makes sense… doesn't it?_

The helicopter came closer, and Kazuya realized that it was headed straight for the tower. It was the helicopter that was supposed to pick him, Jane, Reike, and Lee up and take them to the gala.

_It does make sense. It does. I suppose that if I want the best results out of Lee, I need to keep him happy. So, for the time being, I'll let him be. Let him go sleeping around with Jane… as long as they stop doing it in my building. That is something I cannot and will not tolerate._

The helicopter rose up right past Kazuya's window, and came down for a landing on the roof.

_Looks like the transport decided to get here a little earlier than scheduled, after all it is only 6:15. Lee and Jane should be showing up to get on any minute now along with Reike, and the three of them will spend the night partying with all the stuck up businessmen of planet earth. I'm glad I'm not going._

Kazuya abruptly turned away from the window, and walked down towards his desk.

_That gala is supposed to commemorate the creation of the Mishima Zaibatsu nearly a century ago by my grandfather; Jinpachi Mishima. It's supposed to be held annually, but thanks to the ridiculous wars and tournaments these past decades, it has gone un-celebrated. Truthfully, I don't even think it's worth the money to throw such a stupid party, but research has shown that it boosts the company's image… as if that needed to happen._

He walked to the front of his desk and rubbed his forehead with one hand.

_Sitting around with a bunch of idiotic old men in suits is not my idea of a good night. Not even the women that will be there are interesting to me…_

Just then, as he was rubbing his forehead with one hand, Kazuya put his other hand down on the hard granite table for support. But instead of reaching the top of his desk, his hand touched something rough and shaky.

Kazuya quickly jerked his head down to see what he had touched, completely surprised by the papery feeling beneath his fingers. There, lying on his desk directly under his hand, was a neatly folded slip of paper.

_What's this? I didn't leave this here._

He grabbed the piece of paper and picked it up. Unfolding it along its single crease, he opened the small parchment and examined it's insides.

There, on the paper, in tiny handwriting, was a short message.

It read; _"You should reconsider. I will be there."_

Kazuya stared at the message for several seconds, re-reading it and trying to discern exactly what it was implying.

He turned the paper over, looking to see if it had anything written on the back. It did not. It was just a simple, single, tiny piece of paper. Barely larger than a post-it note.

_What the hell is this? Who wrote this? What are they saying?_

Kazuya turned the paper over again to the side with the writing on it. The words were etched in some form of graphite or lead, much like that found in a typical No. 2 pencil. In general, there was very little about the note that was remarkable at all.

_Except for the words… They're obviously addressed to me. And they must be talking about the gala… but who knows about my decision not to attend? Who could possibly have done this?_

Then, just as he had done the night before, Kazuya felt a familiar feeling overtake him. He knew who wrote the note.

_It's her… _

_The woman Angel warned me about. She wrote this note, and she wants me to go to the gala! How dare she!_

Kazuya's fist closed in rage, then he threw the crumpled up paper into a nearby trashcan. Storming out of the office, he entered the bedroom, and then the changing room.

_I need to find this woman! As much as I hate idiotic parties, I would be a fool to ignore this note. It is my only chance to finally confront her!_

Angrily, he entered the closet and picked out a black tuxedo with matching black pants and a white dress shirt. It was the outfit he always wore to special events, which he actually attended very rarely. Taking off his other outfit, Kazuya pulled up his black pants, then the dress shirt down over him, and the suit jacket up around that. Glancing at a clock on the wall, he quickly took note of the time. 6:26.

_How dare she do this to me! How dare she force me to attend such a pathetic and erroneous event! Kazuya Mishima does not take orders from anyone! I make my own decisions, and now, this woman thinks she can just drop me a friendly note, forcing me to bend to her whims? I don't think so. No. I do not think so. This woman needs to be taught a lesson._

Kazuya slipped into a pair of nearby dress shoes, then grabbed a black bowtie off a rack directly next to his closet. Throwing the bowtie around his neck, He ran out of the changing room and into his office. He glanced at the clock on the wall, lazily blinking; 6:27.

_That damn helicopter had better not leave without me…_

Kazuya ran at full sprint out the office down and down the hall. He knew that waiting for an elevator to go up one story was a waste of time, so he bolted through a small grey door at the end of the hall, and began climbing a set of stairs.

_Oh, she will pay. Yes, she will…_

Kazuya reached the top of the stairs, and threw the door open. Immediately the rooftop scene greeted him, which included a helicopter with running blades and a small group of people gathered around it. Standing in the middle of the group was Lee Chaolan, who was busy helping Jane climb into the passenger carriage of the helicopter.

Kazuya stormed forward, still adjusting his bowtie but looking extremely intimidating nonetheless. As he walked, one of the servants turned around, and immediately freaked out upon noticing him. The servant turned to another one of the servants, and whispered into that servants ear. The second man spun around, and also noticing Kazuya walking up behind him, went into panic mode.

_They haven't left yet. Good. _Thought Kazuya.

The servants quickly alerted one another, until all of them had noticed Kazuya, and were now respectfully bowing their heads. One of them tapped lee on the shoulder, then whispered something into his ear. Lee spun around with an angry expression on his face, which quickly turned to fear when he saw the hulking form of Kazuya approaching from behind.

"Gah! Kazuya! I mean… Mr. Mishima! What are you- I mean, how can I help you, sir?" he stammered, also bowing.

"Get on the damn copter." Replied Kazuya, who walked straight past Lee and up the steps into the helicopter.

Lee clumsily followed suit, and entered the helicopter directly behind his boss.

Once inside, Kazuya looked around and saw that the passenger cart had only one other person in it; Jane.

She was staring into a pocket mirror and doing her makeup, but looked up slowly at the man that had entered, and immediately gasped when she saw who it was. "Oh! Mr. Mishima! What are you doing here?" She asked.

Kazuya sat down on the seat directly across from her, and then replied. "I am coming to the gala. Do not ask me why. Do not ask me how. Do not say another word."

Jane opened her mouth to respond, then quickly shut it, reconsidering. She shut the miniature mirror she was looking into and hastily put it into her handbag, which hung over her shoulder.

Lee entered the cart, and walked slowly up to Kazuya and Jane. There were only two open seats on the helicopter left, one being next to Kazuya and the other being next to Jane. After looking briefly at Kazuya's furious expression, he decided to sit next to Jane.

Kazuya crossed his arms, then yelled at the pilot of the helicopter. "Begin takeoff. Head directly to the gala and make it fast. Now!"

The pilot, who was seated next to Captain Reike, nodded in agreement, then pulled back on his control stick, making the rotors spin faster and faster until the helicopter rose up off the ground.

Kazuya leaned back in his seat and eyed the man and woman sitting before him, who both awkwardly looked at the ground.

He considered reaming them out and telling them off for their embarrassing behavior, but he decided against it.

_I've decided to let them continue their relationship. Not because I like them, but because it will increase productivity. That is all._

Kazuya continued to stare at the odd couple as the helicopter sped off to its destination. The entire ride, which lasted about fifteen minutes, was maintained in complete, deafening silence. He could tell that Lee and Jane were as uncomfortable as could be, but he did not care. After all, he had good news for them.

Then, after the grueling twenty minutes of awkward silence, the Mishima banquet hall became visible through the windows of the helicopter. It was an enormous banquet hall, taking up slightly less room than a professional football stadium. In the center of the huge building was an enormous room that acted as the dance hall and center of activities. There, there would be a band playing music, hundreds of people dancing, and many servants hurrying around serving appetizers. All in all, the building was magnificent, both in size and purpose.

Lee and Jane both looked out the window and watched as the helicopter hovered precariously over its destination, but Kazuya did not bother. He was thinking of the right words to say.

The helicopter started to lower itself, then, after a short descent, touched down on a circular pad in front of the building. The pilot let go of his control stick, and slowly the rotors began to slow down. Finally they stopped, and silence enveloped the passengers again.

Kazuya continued to stare at Lee and Jane for a few additional seconds after the helicopter came to a complete stop, then he abruptly stood up. Looking down at the two of them, who desperately tried to avoid eye contact, he spoke.

"Listen. I know that you're both probably disgraced and embarrassed by what happened at the tower. That's understandable. Anyone stupid enough to try and trick me deserves to feel that way. But this is not the reason I am speaking to you now. The real reason is to give you a warning."

Lee closed his eyes and faced away from Kazuya and Jane, expecting to hear something about him being forbidden to see her ever again. But, to his surprise, Kazuya said something completely different.

"From now on, I'm allowing you to continue your relationship. You may both see each other as frequently as you wish, as long as it goes on outside of my tower and my property."

Jane looked up with a shocked and confused expression on her face, while Lee's eyes opened wide and he shook his head, doing a double-take.

"I am not doing this because I like you… Either of you. I am doing it because I want to experiment, and find out if there are any positive side effects of a romantic relationship between employees. I will hereby allow you to continue your endeavors, provided that I see a noticeable rise in the quality of the work you both put in for me and for the company. Understand?"

Jane and Lee nodded in dumbfounded shock, like two toddlers who had just avoided a spanking from their mother.

"Good." Said Kazuya with an emotionless expression on his face. "Now," he said, "Let's get in there and get this ridiculous ordeal over with."

And with that, Kazuya turned around and stepped down, out of the helicopter. Not even looking back to see if Lee or Jane was following him, he faced the front entrance of the banquet hall, and prepared to confront the mysterious woman.

…

…

(Four LONG hours later.)

…

…

He was seated at a small, exquisite table, which was the only in the room. To his left stood Captain Reike, who had been acting as Kazuya's bodyguard since he arrived. The table had been specially brought in for Kazuya, mainly because he didn't feel like standing around all night talking to every person in the hall. In front of him stood an older man about 60 years old, who was busy saying something about his prosperous business endeavors.

Kazuya put a hand over his mouth and yawned lazily. For the past four hours since his arrival, he had done nothing but speak with an endless barrage of businessmen and partying women. Sometimes women would try to hit on him or draw his attention, but Kazuya ignored them completely. He had another woman on his mind.

_Where is she? _He wondered angrily, as he started to think that the note may have been a trick, and that the woman would not be present at all. _She is the only reason I came to this damn party, and if she doesn't reveal herself soon, then I'm truly going to get mad. Nobody here wants to see me when I'm mad._

Pushing the thoughts out of his mind, Kazuya tried to focus back on the boring speech of the businessman before him. Slowly the man's voice tuned in.

"…caused a rise in production of over thirty percent! So, as you can see, Mr. Mishima, your purchase of my company was a wise investment, and a highly profitable decision."

"Yeah, whatever." Said Kazuya as he eyed the passionate orator before him. "Listen… Mr. Rochefort, I know that your oil fields have been experiencing high levels of output recently."

The oil tycoon nodded in agreement. "Indeed they are." He said charismatically.

Kazuya nodded slowly as if he was falling asleep. "And I know that you're very proud of them." He said.

"That is true. My oil empire is my life." Replied Mr. Rochefort.

"Indeed… and that is very fine and all, but you must see things from my perspective." said Kazuya.

Mr. Rochefort cocked his head to the side and let a confused expression enter his face. "What do you mean by that, sir?"

"I mean, you are boring me terribly, and if you do not either change the subject soon or get out of my sight, I will have you killed on the spot. Understood?"

The businessman's face turned white as he heard Kazuya's decree. "Oh… yes sir, Mr. Mishima."

"So…" continued Kazuya. "What will it be? Make yourself interesting, or go away?"

Mr. Rochefort desperately looked for something to talk about with Kazuya, because he definitely did not want to lose the rare chance to talk to him in person. Despite being the world leader in business, Kazuya Mishima rarely traveled to the outside world, which meant that face to face meetings with him were often more valuable than a small fortune. CEOs would kill to be in Rochefort's position, and he knew it.

"Umm, please Mr. Mishima, I promise I will keep you entertained, I simply need to find something which we can discuss…" Mr. Rochefort said as he looked in all directions around the large banquet hall, trying to find something of interest. Just then, as he glanced towards the dance floor, he saw his ace-in-the-hole.

"Emilie!" He shouted as he noticed his daughter, standing alone of the edge of the dance floor. She was surrounded by young men, all hopelessly attracted by her ravishing good looks and elegant dress. Lili was paying them no mind, however, and seemed to be almost bored by the party.

When she heard her name called, the girl slowly turned around and began walking towards her father. As she went, the crowd of boys tried to follow her, but when they saw that she was headed towards Kazuya Mishima, most of them gave up the chase and returned to the dance floor.

Mr. Rochefort saw that his daughter was headed his way, then quickly turned to Kazuya and smiled. "Allow me to introduce you, Mr. Mishima, to my lovely daughter; Emilie de Rochefort."

Lili looked Kazuya in the eyes with a bored expression on her face, and curtseyed.

"How do you do, Monsieur?" she politely asked in a frankly bored sounding tone.

Kazuya raised his eyebrow. _Finally, someone mildly interesting around here._

He not was attracted to her in any way, but rather interested in her renowned fighting skills. Lili had been a participant in a couple of the more recent Tekken tournaments, during which he got to know her style quite well.

_She's good… but not great. And it looks like she got dragged here by her father._

Mr. Rochefort was smiling nervously as he saw Kazuya eyeing his daughter. "Yes, I know that you two have met in the past, but that a different time now. My darling Emilie has finally outgrown her childish tendencies to roughhousing, and now is set to pursue a life of high society and class, just like a lady ought to."

Kazuya scowled. _Rochefort is trying to stop his daughter from fighting. I can see it in her eyes that she hates this kind of high brow setting…_

Then, Mr. Rochefort took a huge risk, and tried to crack a joke. "I know she had participated in some of the recent…eh… tournaments sponsored by your company, and I know that these tournaments seem to spring up quite frequently nowadays, but I assure you, she will not be participating in any further tournaments of the so called "Tekken" variety, should you ever choose to host another one. Hahaha…"

Kazuya scowled. He didn't find it funny at all._ If he old man really thinks he can change his daughter's personality… he is a fool. People never change. Once you are a Tekken fighter, you are always a Tekken fighter. There's no escaping that._

Kazuya coughed, and then responded to Mr. Rochefort's statement. "There will be no more Tekken tournaments any time soon. Those days are over. But…"

Mr. Rochefort's expression turned to a worried one when he saw the strange look on Kazuya's face.

"But… if the fates should ever conspire, and another tournament does begin, your daughter will absolutely be a participant."

Lili looked up and completely dropped the bored expression she previously wore, exchanging it for a shocked and confused one.

Mr. Rochefort was even more shocked than his daughter. "Wha-what? What do you mean by that, sir? Are you implying that she will try to defy my wishes?"

"Not her, Rochefort. Me." Kazuya said as he leaned forward and looked the man in his eyes. "I am the one that is defying your wishes. Should there ever be another tournament, which I doubt will happen, then I will be expecting your daughter to be there. Consider this a direct order."

Mr. Rochefort's jaw dropped, and Lili's eyes lit up with excitement.

"Oh, Kazuya, thank you so much!" She said in a sweet, happy voice. She lightly gripped the edges of her elegant dress, and curtseyed again, this time with more feeling, as if she truly meant it.

"And Lili," he said as he faced to the young fighter. " Do not make me regret this decision. If there ever is a tournament… which is unlikely… Then you had better do good. If I'm not impressed by your performance then I won't hesitate to send you straight back to your father. Understood?"

Lili nodded enthusiastically, and curtseyed once more. "Thank you, Kazuya… and when the time comes, do not bother worrying about me. I will be more than ready to fight. I always am." She said with a devious wink.

Kazuya scoffed, and leaned back in his chair, still looking directly into her eyes. "That's great for you. And who knows... maybe next time you won't be defeated by that Kazama girl." He said mockingly.

Lili gasped, then looked at Kazuya with an expression of anger and surprise. "Are you trying to say that classless schoolgirl is more talented in the martial arts than I am? That's absurd!"

Kazuya looked away from Lili and up at the ceiling, trying his best to appear bored. "Sure… whatever you say."

Lili responded by giving a defiant "Hmph!", then turning around and walking away. Despite the insult she just received from Kazuya, she seemed to have much more of a happy spring in her step as she walked. Making her way down to the dance floor, Lili found herself engulfed by a crowd of wide-eyed young men, all of whom she still she managed to ignore.

Meanwhile, Mr. Rochefort was still recovering from his shock.

"But- but- but- Mr. Mishima… my daughter is a lady! A proper lady! She cannot go around fighting like a hooligan!"

Kazuya scowled at the man and angrily looked at him. "Your daughter is a Tekken fighter, whether you want her to be or not. Now, it seems that you have run out of ways to entertain me, so get out of my sight." He said.

Mr. Rochefort gulped, then replied. "Uh… I… um…yes sir, Mr. Mishima." And with that, he slowly bowed and backed away.

Kazuya was left alone again, seated at his table with a single bodyguard to his side. Kazuya turned to the bodyguard, and asked a question; "Reike, give me the time."

The Mishima High Guard Captain did not even move his body at all as he robotically replied. "10:24, sir."

Kazuya groaned and leaned back in his chair. The party was slotted to last until midnight.

_I don't have time for this… I should have found that damn woman by now!_

Kazuya looked out over the dance floor and the large expanse of bodies yet again, as he searched in vain for his mystery woman. As usual, he saw nothing. The only notable people that he could make out were Lee and Jane, who were busy dancing together on the far side of the floor, as far away from him as they could get. In addition to that, he also noticed Lili dancing with some boy who she had apparently picked out of her adoring fan base. Altogether, every person in the building seemed to be having a genuinely good time.

Except for the guest of honor.

Kazuya sat alone, separated from the rest of the party. His only companion was Captain Reike, who had stood vigilantly by his side for the past four hours straight.

_As if I actually needed a bodyguard…_

The music for the party was coming from a large bandstand at the front of the dance floor, upon which was seated a full-size symphony orchestra; the best music money could buy. Currently they were playing a fast-paced symphony, which had caused the floor to erupt in an array of busily dancing partiers. Along the edges of the dance floor stood many small groups of older men in suits, who either did not wish to dance or simply could not because of their age.

Just then, Kazuya looked around him with surprise. For the first time in the entire four hours he had been at the gala, there did not seem to be any more businessmen trying to talk to him. The large crowd of men in suits that had been surrounding him since his arrival seemed to have dissipated, replaced with empty tables and wide-open spaces.

_Looks like they're finally done. Thank god those idiots have finally decided to leave me alone, I thought they would never stop coming. _

Kazuya stood up from his chair for the first time that night. Stretching his arms, he looked around for something to do.

_This gala has to be the most boring event I've ever attended… and it's all the fault of that damn note! Whoever wrote that note was just trying to trick me, and it worked. There is no mysterious woman at all! I've been played for a fool!_

Kazuya angrily clenched his fists together and spun to face Captain Reike.

"Reike." He said. "Get in the helicopter. I'm leaving this party right now."

Captain Reike nodded, then ran off in the direction of the helicopter landing pad. Kazuya watched him go, then slowly followed suit. As he walked, some of the party guests noticed him leaving, then whispered to each other about him.

_This is ridiculous. There is no mystery woman. There is no meeting tonight. I let myself become convinced by stupid tricks and idiotic messages… It's Angel's fault. That twisted fool was just trying to screw with my head again. Like she always does…_

As his anger grew, Kazuya continued to walk away from the party and towards the helicopter. Reaching the end of the large banquet hall, he came to a pair of exquisitely carved doors, which had been propped open. Beyond the twin doors there was a long hallway approximately 50 yards long. At the far end of the hallway, Kazuya could see the helicopter pad, and next to it; Captain Reike.

_I shouldn't have come. It was all a trick…_

Kazuya's eyes narrowed as he thought about how much he hated Angel for doing what she had done.

_She was probably the one who left that note. And the one who left the message on my phone. I bet it was her the whole time._

He stomped down the hallway, causing nearby servants to scramble out of his way and hide in whatever rooms were nearby. At the far end of the walkway, Captain Reike climbed into the cockpit of the helicopter, and awaited the arrival of his boss.

Now, with all the servants gone and Reike away from sight, the hallway was empty.

Except for Kazuya, whose footsteps made loud noises each time they touched down on the hard granite floor.

_There is no woman for me to find. And there never was. _He thought.

Just then, however, as he finally settled on the idea that no woman was coming to see him, he heard a voice.

It came from behind him, and immediately filled the hallway with the same sweet, familiar tone that Kazuya had felt several times already over the past two days.

"Kazuya… where do you think you're going?" asked the voice in an endearing, almost playful tone.

Kazuya heard the voice and stopped in his tracks.

_That voice! It- No. It's nobody. I'm just imagining things… like I have been all week. It's nothing._

Shaking the voice out of his head, Kazuya began walking again, this time slightly faster and more powerfully. By now he was about halfway down the hall, and the voice seemed to be coming from all the way back at the hallway's beginning.

Then, the voice spoke again, and Kazuya was stopped in his tracks for the second time.

"Come on Kazuya, the night has only just begun… Surely you aren't going to leave now, before you've even had a single dance?"

Kazuya shook his head violently and tried to get the voice to go away.

_It's not real… it's not real… it can't be real… it's just my imagination. If I turn around, there will be nobody there, just like last time._

But no matter how hard he tried to convince himself that he was imagining things, something deep inside was telling him to turn around. The warm feeling that had previously filled the hallway now seemed to fill up his senses with its familiar embrace.

He could not shake the feeling no matter how hard he tried, but he did manage to control the urge to turn around.

_It's not real… just remember that…_

"Kazuya, it's me… Jun."

As soon as he heard the name out loud, Kazuya completely lost control.

Spinning around as fast as he could, he looked down the hallway in search of the woman he once loved, but dared to believe was alive.

And there, standing tall at the end of the hallway… was Jun Kazama.

Kazuya's eyes opened wide as he took in the image before him. Without even realizing it, his feet began to move towards her, as if drawn in by some divine magnetism.

Slowly he walked, keeping his eyes fixed upon the woman before him at all times. It was all he could see, as if the world had suddenly gone dark in all locations except for the one he currently observed.

She looked beautiful.

Wearing an elegant white dress, Jun Kazama appeared to him like an angel; strong, mysterious, and enticing. Her dress reached past her knees, where it just barely graced the mid-point of her ankles. On her feet, she wore two perfectly white shoes with smalls, barely noticeable heels.

The dress was fitted around her waist, bringing her body's natural curves and grace to the focus of attention. It hung naturally over her shoulders with two straps that were no more than one or two inches wide each. Starting from her shoulders, the dress seemed to cascade down her body, wrapping it lightly in a soft, pure white material. It did not have a very low-cut neck, but the dress was still cut well down into her chest, which caused no unnecessary skin to be shown off while still managing to make her breasts look ample and attractive.

Kazuya remained in a trance as he watched the woman in front of him appear to come closer and closer. In reality, she was not the one coming closer, but rather Kazuya was. He had already crossed half the distance between them, and was progressing further even still.

If there was some kind of force possessing him to move towards her, he did not care. All he wanted was to get closer to the beautiful woman before him.

Jun smiled lightly, giving her face a look of happiness and grace that Kazuya had not witnessed for years. Her face was immaculate, with two hazel-colored eyes that slanted modestly across her skin. Her eyelashes were full, but not overpowering, and they had a slightly dark tint to them that created the impression of mystery and beauty. Her eyebrows were two thin lines, without a single hair out of place or angled incorrectly. Her skin was perfectly smooth and lightly tan, shown off naturally over the small bulge that was her perfectly placed nose.

Her lips clearly had no makeup on them, but they imbued such beauty and honest feelings that anyone who saw them would agree that any kind of lipstick would ruin their already perfect tint. Beneath those soft, enticing lips, her teeth were barely visible, but nonetheless shined with natural light and clarity.

Her hair was a soft black, which possessed a dark tint that seemed to turn it into something that could only be described as raven-colored. Short and deliberate, her hair looked completely natural as it flowed down to her shoulders, and raced along the back of her head like a cool grasslands breeze. And there, atop the breeze, was a single white hairband. It hugged the top her head like a lasso, grabbing the winds and pulling them down to earth. Altogether, her face created an image of beauty and purity that Kazuya had not seen in a single other woman during his entire life.

All… except for one, of course.

And that one woman, that one exception, she was the very woman that Kazuya was beholding right there.

_Jun…_

She smiled again, revealing more of her perfectly white teeth in a soft crescent shape.

She held her hands behind her back, keeping them together in a light embrace that Kazuya could not see but somehow managed to imagine with perfect detail. Her arms, connecting perfectly immaculate shoulders to perfectly immaculate hands, were beautiful in and of themselves. Clear skin, without a single blemish or mark, adorned every inch of her visible body like stained glass windows in a church.

Again, she spoke. "It's been so long… Kazuya."

At the sound of his own name, Kazuya's trance broke. The word seemed like a hammer smashing into ice, crushing it and ruining its beauty. In this case, Jun's beauty was the ice, and Kazuya's name; dark and imperfect, was the hammer.

Regaining his senses, Kazuya realized that he now stood directly in front of Jun, a mere few away.

She smiled at him, and reached up to lightly brush the hair out of her eyes. Her hand was just as immaculate as he imagined it would be as it slowly tucked the raven colored strands away from her face and behind her ear. Kazuya simply watched on in wonder as she performed the simple task.

Neither of them said anything, instead let quiet stares do the speaking for them. Both old friends maintained perfect eye contact, never removing their gaze from the other's face.

Then, slowly, Kazuya began to realize who he was looking at. Obviously he knew who it was the moment he saw her, but just now it was beginning to sink in to him. This was Jun. The woman he loved. The woman he left. The woman that bore him a child. The woman that SHOULD have been dead.

"Jun…?" He whispered.

"Kazuya…" she answered.

Kazuya continued to stare at her, his head a chaotic maelstrom of emotions and thoughts.

_She's dead… Jun is dead. I know she is… can it truly be her…? Why has she come back? And why has she come back to me? Here? Right now? Nearly two decades later? Why has she not appeared to Jin? What if she has appeared to Jin? What does she want with ME?_

"Listen… Kazuya, you probably have a lot of questions…" she said quietly as she finally broke eye contact and her smile started to fade.

Kazuya suddenly started to get impatient with Jun, partly because of the wild goose chase she put him on the past few days, and partly because of other reasons he could not understand.

"Yeah! I have tons of questions!" he said loudly.

Jun looked back up at him and tilted gave him an honest, endearing look. "And I'm willing to answer them. I really am."

Kazuya was still recovering from the shock of seeing her that he couldn't find the words to express his confusion.

"Like, why- I mean, how- or rather… just start talking!" He demanded.

Normally when Kazuya demanded anything of people, they complied immediately. But Jun was a different story. She stared right back at Kazuya and shot him a mysterious look.

"I'm willing to talk with you Kazuya… but for a price."

"A price? What are you talking about?" he asked.

"If I'm going answering your questions…" she explained, "Then I want you to answer mine too. Believe it or not, you're not the only one who's feeling a little confused right now. It's only fair."

Kazuya looked at the woman before him and was shocked. Rarely had anyone stood up to him like that. It was a feeling he had not experienced in untold years. That feeling of defiance, of being shut out from what he wanted, that started to drive him crazy. Suddenly, he realized he would do anything to get what he wanted, which was information. And he wanted it now.

"Fine." He said, finally agreeing to the demands of another human being.

Jun's face lit up as she watched Kazuya respond.

"You hate that, don't you?" She said smiling.

"Hate what?" he replied.

"You hate it when people tell you what to do. I can see it in your eyes. You've always hated it."

Kazuya looked at the woman and scowled. Of course he hated it.

_She thinks it's funny._

Jun laughed lightly, a laugh that even Kazuya, in his current state, had to admit sounded lovely.

"Then you're going to hate me even more when I tell you the other price." She said quietly but directly.

"What?" he yelled. "What are you talking about?"

"A dance. Just one dance." She said as she smiled again.

"A…a...what?" he stammered. "A dance? No way. Absolutely not."

Jun watched as Kazuya defiantly crossed his arms over his chest. She even laughed as he scowled menacingly back at her.

"Oh Kazuya…" she said while trying not to giggle. "That's what I always loved about you. You're so stubborn. So self-reliant. As if you were the only one that knows what's good for you."

"I am!" He said flatly.

Jun could not help but giggle. She tried to cover her mouth with her hand, but Kazuya knew it was a joke. She wanted him to see her laughing. As he watched the woman laugh at him, something deep inside him clicked. Suddenly, he was not mad anymore. Dare he say it, the woman actually looked kind of… nice.

Trying desperately to shake the thoughts out of his head, Kazuya returned to the conversation at hand.

"Stop laughing. I don't dance."

Jun calmed down, then looked back into Kazuya's eyes. She put her hands behind her back again.

"I know how much it pains you to give in to anyone… but it's funny. Honestly I think it's adorable when you try to act all angry like that. Deep down, you know you want to dance with me."

"I most definitely do not." Shot back Kazuya.

"Fine… I believe you. But that doesn't change by position. Either take five minutes out of your day to dance one song with me, or leave right now and we'll never see each other again. I think I know which one you'll choose." She said.

Kazuya was taken aback. _Is she holding herself hostage for a stupid dance?_

"You're just as foolish as I remember." He said. "I would sooner walk out of here right now than bend to your ridiculous demands."

"No you won't, Kazuya. You want to see me just as much as I want to see you. You probably have a million questions for me that have been eating away at you for a long time… don't you finally want to put those questions to rest?"

"You overestimate the leverage you hold over me,woman. You think I so desperately want to talk to you, but you're wrong. I haven't seen you in well over a decade, and I've been fine. If anything, YOU are the one that wants to see me."

"Is that so?" She said matter-of-factually. "If you think you don't need me so much, then why did you come running when I left you that note?"

Kazuya glared down at Jun with a furious expression on his face. As much as he tried to deny it, he knew she was right. There was nothing he wanted more than to talk to her.

Jun had a mysterious glint in her eye as she watched Kazuya struggle internally. Then she smiled. For some reason, watching him act so stubborn was amusing to her. She even found it adorable.

"So what will it be?" she asked in a playful tone. "Will you get on your helicopter and return to the Zaibatsu tower where you'll live out the rest of your days in lonely misery while the world passes you by and the woman you once called your friend disappears forever… or dance just one little song?"

Kazuya stared back at her, then unfolded his arms.

Jun looked right back, her gaze not faltering in the least.

Kazuya opened his mouth, looked like was about to say something, and then shut it.

Jun took her hands out from behind her back, and crossed them over her chest. The glint in her eye had not disappeared.

Kazuya took a deep breath, like he was about to yell something, then held out his hand right in front of Jun's face.

With a confused expression, Jun watched as Kazuya's fist slowly came within inches of her nose, and then stopped.

Kazuya narrowed his eyes, then slowly uncurled his hand. He extended his index finger until it was completely upright, and pointed it straight at Jun.

"One. Dance." He said through gritted teeth.

Jun smiled from ear to ear, eyes beaming with happiness at the sound of Kazuya's decision. Then she reached out with one hand, locked her fingers with Kazuya's, and then turned to lead him straight onto the dance floor.

**End Chapter Four**

(Thanks for reading! What do you guys think of Jun? Do you like her? Do you hate her? Do you think she and Kazuya will get along? (I doubt it) Do you think Kazuya is a good dancer? Who do you think will lead? All these questions and more will be answered in chapter five, coming soon! Please be sure to leave a review, even if you hated the story. And how about those two lovebirds; Lee and Jane? Be honest… how many of you saw that coming? If any one of you saw that coming, then props to you, Sherlock. Anyway, I haven't even started chapter five yet… but I know it will be amazing. I've got big plans, and if you liked this one, then I bet you'll like that one! However it turns out… So, if you have anything to say about the story, or any burning questions you want me to answer, feel free to do so in the reviews section. Getting a review is basically the best feeling in the world, even if it turns out to be: "You suck". So please review, and THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING!)

(Que Sera, Sera!)


	5. Spirit

(Are you a fan of Tekken? Do you like it when two characters with extraordinary pasts meet one another after two decades of separation? Do you think Jun Kazama is an attractive young woman? Do you think Kazuya Mishima is physically incapable of smiling? Have you ever wanted to learn the waltz? WELL! If you answered yes, no, or maybe to any one of these questions, then this is the story for you! Chapter five of The Return sees Jun and Kazuya finally get together and dance, which, trust me, is a hilarious story in and of itself. In addition, you'll get to see Jun and Kazuya interact more, showing off their extreme personalities, and unique relationship. The goal of this chapter is to illustrate how Jun and Kazuya perceive one another, and to show how the revelation of Jun's return has affected those around her. A lot of burning questions will be answered this chapter, but a lot of other ones will be raised in the process. And the last line… it's a bombshell. Recently I've been reading other fanfics on this website, which are amazing. I noticed that a lot of authors seem to respond personally to each of the people that review their stories, so I decided to give it a shot. From now on, every time I post a new chapter, I will directly answer and respond to every one of the reviews I received from the previous one. So, thank you all for reviewing! )

Annonimos- Thank you for reading! It's great to know that you enjoy the story, and I am extremely impressed by the way you have reviewed every chapter so far. Also, I know you were probably expecting a little more Jun last time, so don't worry. She's all over this chapter.

- Thanks for you review and appreciation! I wanted to draw a sharp contrast between Jun and Kazuya last chapter, which is why I made Jun so happy and nice, and Kazuya so pissed off at everyone. If you liked that about last chapter, then prepare to see a bunch more of it this time.

Hey- Right now.

KazuyaLoverProduction-Thank you for reading! I love your username too! I see that we have a lot in common. Not only do we like Kazuya, but we also are both wondering what will happen next. Truth be told, I'm just as in the dark as you are. Hahaha.

SecretlyInLoveWithYourFanfic- Thank you for reading and reviewing! I know Kazuya seemed to get a little out of character last chapter, which is something I'm not quite sure that I should be doing. Part of me wants to keep him as a silent, pissed off badass, but another part of me wants him to start having more human qualities. This means that you're probably going to see a lot of back-and forth for him from now on, but for the most part I intend to keep him generally in character. Thank you!

**The Return**

**Chapter Five**

"Oh my god… do you see what I see?"

Jane quickly let go of Lee's hand and pointed over his shoulder, to some location across the dance floor.

"I'm sure that whatever it is, it can wait until after this song." Said Lee as he continued dancing, ignoring his date's excitement.

Lee and Jane were on the dance floor of the Mishima Zaibatsu banquet hall, one of the largest buildings in the entire world. Right now it was about 10:30 PM, meaning that the party was just about three fourths of the way over. Currently the enormous dance floor was filled with people, all stepping in tune with their respective partners to an elaborate classical music song.

A full-scale symphony orchestra was supplying the background music, weaving feelings of serenity and class throughout the hall. The piece that the orchestra was performing was the famous 1892 concerto known as "The Waltz of the Flowers" by Peter Tchaikovsky. The piece was famous for its appearance in the play "The Nutcracker", and was now regarded as one of the most recognizable songs of the world

"No I'm serious. You're never going to believe this... Look at who just got on the dance floor." Said Jane as she reluctantly started dancing again. Even though she continued to waltz perfectly in tempo, her eyes never left the spot she was staring at.

Lee noticed this and tried to get her to relax. "Hey, I don't care who's dancing and who's not. Tonight is about you and me… nobody else, okay?"

"Yes dear… but I'm just saying-"

Lee smiled and laughed half-heartedly, cutting her off. "I told you, I don't care about anyone else right now. Just you, my darling. Can't we take this one day off from work and just enjoy ourselves like two normal human beings for once?"

Jane sighed, then smiled again and nodded. "I do, Lee, I really do. But I really think you should turn around. Are you sure you don't want to look? I bet it's the last thing you would expect to see."

"Haha, I doubt that." Said Lee as he held Jane lightly around the waist and led her in circles around the dance floor. "After this crazy day, nothing would surprise me."

"Oh, I think this will…"

Lee sighed and smiled back at his partner. "If I turn around, will you that make you happy?" He asked.

"Yes, Lee. It would make me very happy, Hahaha."

"Fine then," he said. "I'll do it for you, Jane." With that, he kissed her lightly on the nose, then began to turn around. "Whatever this is… it's not going to-"

Lee stopped dead in his tracks and stared. His jaw dropped.

There, making his way across the dance floor, was Kazuya Mishima.

And he was with a woman.

…

…

…

"So… do you want to lead, or should I?" Asked Jun in a playful tone as she weaved through the crowds of dancers, leading Kazuya and herself straight to the middle of the ballroom floor.

"I lead." Said Kazuya as he watched people of all shapes and sizes around him dancing slowly to the tune of the waltz.

Jun turned her head around to look at him and examine him questioningly. "Are you sure you know how to lead? Have you ever even waltzed before?"

"Of course I know how to lead. I lead everything." He replied.

"Operating a business is a little bit different from dancing a waltz, you know." She said.

"I don't care. Let me lead." Demanded Kazuya.

Jun giggled lightly, then stopped abruptly in her tracks. She turned around, and straightened out her back as she raised one hand in the air to her right.

Kazuya stood stock still, staring back at her as if he was waiting for her to make the next move.

The two stared at each other for several more seconds until Jun finally spoke. "Well…?" she said.

"Well what." Asked Kazuya bluntly, who crossed his arms over his chest.

"Well… are you going to hold me, or what?" She asked patiently as she continued to hold her hand up in the air, waiting to be grabbed.

Kazuya looked down at the woman and scoffed. "Why would I do that?" he retorted.

Jun rolled her eyes and smiled, clearly amused. "Wow… you know even less about dancing than I thought you did… here, let me show you." she said, and reached forward with her left hand, taking hold of his right arm, then bringing it back around her waist.

She moved his hand until it was resting lightly on her back, then she let go. Next, Jun took Kazuya's other hand, and interlocked their fingers. Finally, she placed her one free hand on Kazuya's shoulder, and raised their combined hands high up into the air.

Kazuya watched as the woman moved his limbs into position, then stared back blankly at her when she was done.

Jun's dress felt soft and frilly under his right hand as he held her by the waist. Her other hand, interlocked with his, felt warm to the touch, and perfectly smooth.

"Okay… what now?" he asked as he continued to take in the fact that they were now touching.

"We dance!" Said Jun enthusiastically.

Suddenly, Kazuya realized that he had no idea how to dance. He looked quickly from side to side, trying to observe what the other couples around him were doing. He saw how they moved in a wide, circular motion around the dance floor, keeping their partners close and their feet perfectly in rhythm.

"Give me one second." He said.

Looking carefully at their footwork, he tried to work out a way to duplicate it with his own feet.

_One two three… one two three… one two three… one two three… move after every three beats._

Kazuya singled out a specific pair of dancers, and watched as they performed the box step; a beginner level waltz technique. Both the man and the woman started with their feet together, standing facing one another just like he and Jun were. The man was also holding his partner in the same way that Kazuya was holding Jun.

The man, who was leading, took one step forward with his left foot while the woman stepped backwards with the corresponding foot. That took three beats to accomplish. Next, the man moved his right foot diagonally forward, so it was next to his left one and about shoulder's width apart. The woman copied this by moving diagonally backwards to finish in the same spot. Finally, the man moved his left foot, the one he started with, sideways until it was directly next to his right foot. The woman did the same, and now they had both ended in the same position they were in when they began.

Then, after nine beats has sounded, the couple began the step all over again, this time in reverse. Now, the woman stepped forward while the man stepped backwards. When they had finished the routine, they were back in their original starting position, on the exact same spot where they started.

_Hmph… seems easy enough…_

"You okay there?" asked Jun politely as she watched Kazuya spying on the other couples.

"Yes I'm fine. Now let's get this over with." He said as he looked back to Jun and prepared to waltz for the first time in his life.

Again and again, the same thoughts flowed through his mind.

_One two three… one two three… one two three… one two three… one two three… one two three…_

Finally deciding it was time to begin, Kazuya stepped forward with his left foot. The move was perfectly executed…

…Until he kicked Jun in the shin.

"Ow!" she whispered quickly, and then shot Kazuya a dirty look. The look vanished fast through, because it wasn't a very hard kick, and she knew it was an accident.

Kazuya was startled for a moment, then quickly recovered his composure. "I'm sorr- I mean… why didn't you start?"

Jun let go of Kazuya's hand, bent down to rub her shin, then stood back up and regained her composure.

"I didn't know you were about to start! Maybe a little warning next time?" She joked.

_She's not mad? If I had been in her position now, I would be fuming…_

Kazuya stared blankly back at Jun, not quite sure of what to say.

Jun put her hand back in Kazuya's, and interlocked their fingers again. "Here," she said. "Just say 'one two three, one two three, one two three…' then begin. That way I'll know you're ready, and we'll both be dancing to the same tempo."

Kazuya adjusted his hold on Jun's back, then nodded. "Fine." He said.

Jun straightened her body up, and looked happily back at Kazuya. They had not even started dancing yet, but she was already clearly enjoying herself.

"Ahem…" coughed Kazuya. "One two three, one two three, one two three…"

At once, Kazuya and Jun stepped in rhythm. Kazuya brought his foot forward while Jun brought hers back, just like the man and woman from before had done. Next, after three beats had passed, they moved their feet diagonally, talking up positions directly across from one another. And finally, after three more beats, they slid their feet sideways, effectively finishing the step.

Jun smiled widely as she saw Kazuya's footwork, and looked up at him with an expression of joy. Kazuya, on the other hand, was staring directly down at his feet, trying to keep in time with the song.

As they performed the step in reverse, this time with Jun leading, she spoke. "You know, it's considered bad etiquette to dance with your head down."

"I don't care." Replied Kazuya. "Just be glad I haven't knocked us down yet…"

Jun started laughing, and Kazuya suddenly realized that what he said had come out like a joke. Of course he didn't intend for it to be a joke, but as he watched Jun's beautiful face laugh, he did not mind.

_Cracking jokes is just not me. _He thought_._

Jun finished laughing, then stepped backwards as they finished the set and began with another one.

The two of them completed two more full rotations like that in total silence, with Jun facing politely forward, and Kazuya staring straight down at the ground.

"Hey, are you sure you've never waltzed before?" She asked, intending it to be a compliment.

"Yes." He said as he danced, letting the footwork flow more naturally now.

"Well it sure seems like you know what you're doing here. Usually people can't get the steps down until tons of practice!"

Kazuya continued to stare at the ground, preparing to take his eyes away as he became more confident in his abilities. "How pathetic. Such a simple dance like this should take five minutes to learn, tops."

Jun laughed at his overconfidence. "Hehehe, slow down Fred Astaire, just because you can do a box step doesn't mean you're a master."

Kazuya looked up from the floor and straight into Jun's eyes, now dancing without even looking at his feet. To his own surprise, he was able to keep dancing perfectly. Looking carefully at Jun, he waited patiently for her to take back what she said.

Instead, the woman laughed again. "And just because you can do it without looking at the floor doesn't mean you're an expert either. When you waltz, people naturally expect you not to look at the floor, silly."

Kazuya scoffed. "Well then, if this whole waltz thing is apparently such a difficult task, then why is it coming so easily to me?" He asked.

"Because it's just a box step. There are plenty of other ways to waltz, each one a hundred times more complex than this little maneuver here."

"Show me." He said defiantly.

Jun could not help but burst out in laughter. Kazuya watched her with a puzzled expression on his face.

"What's so funny?" he demanded.

"You, of course!" She said with a smiling face. "You only just started dancing two minutes ago, and you're already looking to become the best. It's always been that way with you, and I just find it adorable."

"Ador-adorable?!" He stammered. "What are you talking about?"

"To you, everything is always a competition. Who can be the best fighter, who can run the best business, who can build the tallest tower, who can dance the best waltz. It's like that's all you ever think about."

Kazuya paused while he thought about it for a moment, then responded. "There's nothing wrong with that. Why bother doing anything in life if you can't do it right?"

Still dancing, Jun answered. "There's nothing wrong with trying your best… but when you turn every little thing in life into a contest, then how can you enjoy anything anymore?

"I don't know what you're talking about." He shot back.

"I mean, don't you ever get tired of trying so hard all the time? Don't you ever want to simply sit back and relax once in a while?"

"Absolutely not." He denied. "Rest is for the weak."

"Okay… well have you ever even tried it?"

"No. I have not."

Jun laughed at the simplicity of the argument she was having. "Well then obviously you wouldn't know until you've tried it!"

"I don't need to try it. That's a waste of my time."

Jun tilted her head to the side and let a smug expression come over her face. "There's that famous Mishima stubbornness again."

"Hmph." Said Kazuya in reply.

They continued to dance, maintaining gentle rhythms as they moved. Jun became progressively more loose and friendly as time went on, but Kazuya, on the other hand, was tense.

He continued to hold Jun's hand and hold her back, but seemed slightly uncomfortable as he did so. Emotions and questions swirled around his head as he danced, viciously eating away at him, making him feel strange and doubtful with every step he took.

Finally, he remembered the reason he agreed to dance in the first place.

"Are you ready to answer my questions now?" He asked directly.

Jun nodded.

"Firstly," He began, "I would be a fool to believe that you are Jun Kazama based solely upon your word. Do you have any way to prove that you truly are who you say you are?" Thus starting off the discussion with the first question that came to mind.

Not skipping a beat, Jun looked back at him and nodded. "I do not blame you for doubting me, Kazuya. It must be very hard to trust me, considering the strange circumstances I appeared to you in. So if you desire me to prove my credibility, then I am willing to oblige."

Kazuya nodded. He asked for the proof because he was still having such a hard time believing the fact that he was currently holding hands with his former love, Jun Kazama. To him, it felt like he was waltzing with a ghost.

Then, the ghost spoke. "Kazuya, look around my neck."

Kazuya glanced down to Jun's neck, and saw nothing at first. Then, Jun tilted her chin up, and revealed the object of his attention. A small silver chain adorned her skin, circling her neck and laying gently upon it. At the end of the chain there was a small pendant with a box-shaped locket on it.

"What is that?" He asked.

"It is your pendant, Kazuya. Your mother's pendant."

Kazuya stared back at her in shock. _My what? My mother's pendant? Is she talking about the picture I used to carry around when I was a boy?_

As if she was reading his thoughts, Jun spoke. "It contains a picture of your mother and you on the day you were born. Do you remember it? Do you remember when you used to wear it all the time?"

"I… how did you get this?" he redirected. To Kazuya, the memory of his mother was a particularly soft spot, and one he chose not to think about often.

"I took it from your room at the Mishima Zaibatsu when you were thrown into the volcano." She answered, playing along with Kazuya's questions that led the discussion away from his mother.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because it is a part of you, Kazuya. It represents your maternal side, and all of the grace your mother once possessed. On top of that, it is proof that you can care. Proof that you are not as cold or hateful as they say. Proof that you are a human being… I could not let that be lost forever."

"So you stole it."

"I saved it." She said with surprising tenacity. "What do you think Heihachi and his men would have done with it had THEY been the ones to recover it? Do you think they would have saved it? Or destroyed it."

Kazuya was silent. He knew the answer.

"I can give it to you." She said.

Kazuya looked at the pendant and shook his head. "No. I do not want it. That useless piece of junk is just a reminder of the way things used to be. I don't need any more of that in my life."

Jun nodded reluctantly. "Do you want me to at least open it? Kazuya, you haven't even looked inside yet."

"No." He said flatly. Clearly this issue was not one that he was willing to budge on.

Jun continued dancing, but made a mental note of the incident. She made sure to remember that Kazuya's mother was still a touchy topic with him.

Changing the topic, she spoke again. "Is that proof?" She asked.

Kazuya silently looked down at the woman, then nodded. "It really is you…" he said.

"Yes." She confirmed. "It always has been."

Kazuya stared at the woman, trying to analyze her. _Clearly it is Jun. that cannot be disputed now. But this revelation raises more questions than it answers… So much of her is still a mystery…_

Jun patiently waited for Kazuya to ask his next question. She knew that her proof had persuaded him, but she was also aware that there were more questions to come. Then, Kazuya broke her trance by voicing his next concern.

"I was told that you were murdered by The Ogre sometime during my volcanic interim… how did you survive?"

Jun politely nodded. She had expected Kazuya to ask this question, mainly because it was the part of her identity that made the least sense.

The second Tekken tournament was when Kazuya and Jun first met. Their romantic relationship began almost at once, as if they knew that they were meant to be together. This time of bliss and romance lasted a short while, however, thanks to the power of the great Heihachi Mishima. He entered the picture like a knife, slicing Kazuya and Jun apart, and cutting off their relationship before it even got a chance to flourish.

Heihachi defeated Kazuya in the final round of the tournament, effectively taking back the company from his estranged son. But winning was not enough for Heihachi, who decided he wanted to take the victory one step further. He did this by securing the unconscious body of his son Kazuya, and dropping it into an active volcano via helicopter.

When news of Kazuya's death reached Jun, she was heartbroken. Knowing that Kazuya's Devil and Heihachi would come for her next, Jun attempted to escape their reach by retreating into the wilderness. There, amongst the peace-loving forest spirits, she learned a terrible secret. She was carrying a child; Kazuya's child.

After giving birth to a healthy young boy named Jin, she made the decision to remain in the forests, and raise him as her son. There, she taught Jun all she knew of Kazama-style martial arts, and how to defend himself from all forms of attack. Of course, she intended to raise Jin as a peaceful young man full of love, but extreme circumstances prevented that.

An ancient Aztec god named Ogre had returned, and was out for blood. Following a string of abductions and murders, the monster came to the forest where Jun and Jin lived. During a brutal fight, The Ogre knocked Jin unconscious, and killed his mother in cold blood. Waking up in the burnt-out remnants of his house, Jin searched in vain for Jun, who appeared to be missing. Her body was never found.

"Yes…" she said. "That is another point that I foresaw you questioning."

Kazuya held her hand slightly tighter now, nearly begging to hear the answer to his quandary.

"Well?" he asked, "How did you survive?"

"How did I survive?" She repeated. Jun frowned, and diverted her eyes slightly away from Kazuya's. "That's easy… I didn't."

Kazuya nearly broke his perfect box-stepping from the sheer shock of hearing Jun's words. Quickly regaining composure, he gave her a confused, inquiring look.

"Ogre killed me… It dragged my body through the woods and set the thing on fire. So much pain… I've never been so horrified in my life."

"What? How did-"

Jun cut him off, and continued her gruesome tale. "Truth be told, I think the monster might have eaten me. Of course I was mostly unconscious by then, but I do faintly remember the feeling of teeth on my skin at some point… Maybe it was just some wolves who stumbled upon me afterwards…"

Kazuya was dumbstruck. Words failed to explain the confusion and anger he felt. Confusion at the idea that a woman who had been torn apart and eaten now stood before him, and anger at the thought of such a kind, peaceful figure enduring a painfully terrifying experience like that. Emotions like this; uncertainty, caring, empathy, these were all foreign feelings to Kazuya, who never thought he was capable of experiencing them.

Finally, he managed to say something. "How…?" was all he could say.

Jun looked up from the ground and back into his eyes, which jolted Kazuya awake. "Death…" she said, "Is not the end of the human experience. For the majority of people on this earth, it is. But it does not = have to be."

With all the style and grace of a philosopher, Jun began her tirade upon the mechanics of life after death. "Humans, animals, plants, communities, ecosystems, they all have spirits. These spirits are pieces of ourselves that reside deep within our brains, giving us willpower, intelligence, and emotions. These spirits are foreign to us, but that does not mean they are inaccessible. They are nothing like a hum being's consciousness, but the two are linked directly nonetheless. Most people go through their lives completely unaware of these spirits, and thus do not nurture them as they ought to. Thanks to this shunning of their spirituality, the majority of human beings let their own deaths cause the death of their spirits as well. This is, however, avoidable."

Kazuya listened silently, taking in this new information, but not deciding whether he was ready to believe it or not.

Jun continued. "Since my youth, I have nurtured my own spirit, letting it grow and breathe until it reached the pinnacle of my own spirituality. Reaching this point meant that my spirit and my consciousness had finally become aware of each other, and combined to be one. By doing this, I managed to fully assert control over my being, making me a fully realized spiritualist. This is what allowed me to live on, even after my death."

The music of the waltz seemed so uniform and straightforward, becoming a sharp contrast to Jun's words. Kazuya, caught in the middle of both, maintained his composure, and listened further still.

"When Ogre killed me, my spirit vacated the destroyed body. Usually when human beings reach this point, their spirits vacate, leaving their consciousness behind to die. This leads to certain, definite death, which cannot be survived and cannot be reversed. I, however, was able to do something different. Instead of letting my spirit leave on its own, my consciousness remained bound to it, and accompanied it along on its journey. Normally when spirits leave a body, they travel out of this reality, and into a mirror dimension we humans have come to call Hell. However, Hell only accepts spirits that are alone. When it became clear that my consciousness was still with my spirit, Hell rejected me."

Taking a deep breath, Jun braced to keep her story going. Clearly, she had a lot to say.

"When a spirit finds itself alone, rejected both from Hell and from its own body, it seeks a new host. The spirit does not know which host it wants to bond with, but instead just knows that it wants to continue its own existence. Logically this means it will go for the nearest human body, which, at the time, happened to be my son Jin. Thus, my spirit and my consciousness bonded with him, and that is where I resided for some time."

Finally Kazuya interrupted her. "You were in Jin's mind?"

"Yes, but he was not aware of it." She clarified. "The process of exiting my body, journeying to hell, being cast away from Hell, wandering the forest, and entering Jin's mind was an extremely tiring experience. When my spirit and my consciousness finally bonded to Jin, I was completely exhausted. My spirit attached itself to Jin's spirit, and slowly my strength began to build back. I was so exhausted that I could not make my presence known to Jin, or even acknowledge anything that was happening around me. This meant I saw nothing, heard nothing, and did nothing for several long years. After some time, however, my strength began to return to me."

"I was not aware of what was happening around me. I witnessed the third Tekken tournament. I was not strong enough to act in any way… but I did still manage to observe. Then came the fourth tournament, and shortly before it; your rebirth."

Kazuya scoffed. This was part of the story that he was very familiar with. Following his near-death experience in the volcano, the burnt remains of his body were recovered by a renegade team of surgeons and biological scientists. This team recovered Kazuya's body shortly after he was thrown in, thus managing to get their hands on it before it had been destroyed entirely. They kept his body in secret bunkers and laboratories for over twenty years, performing all kinds of experiments and tests on it. Thanks to Kazuya's devil gene, his body refused to decompose properly, and was very adept to recover.

Despite the biological enhancements from his Devil Gene, Kazuya's body was still too badly burnt to be saved. Thus the scientists, who now identified themselves as the newly formed G-Corporation, decided to try something else. Using DNA taken from Kazuya's original burnt body, they began to synthesize a new body out of stem cells and prosthetics. Over the course of twenty years, they slowly reconstructed his body, working diligently on the scientific aspects, while the Devil Gene worked on the spiritual ones.

Some tissue from Kazuya's old body was able to be saved, and was thus incorporated in the new one. This mixture of science and dark magic helped to create a truly extraordinary mess of flesh and bones. Once the work was complete, The Devil Gene transferred itself to the new body, dragging Kazuya's spirit, Kazuya's consciousness, and The Angel along with it. Finally Kazuya woke up, and after a brief period of confusion, accepted the new body. Thus, he truly was reborn.

Jun's voice snapped Kazuya out of the memories.

"Hey! Watch where you're stepping!" She yelled.

Kazuya looked down at his feet, and quickly realized that he was standing on her foot. He looked sheepishly back up at Jun, whose expression seemed to be a mix of anger and amusement. Kazuya knew that those were two emotions that usually never mix.

He picked up his foot, and released Jun's foot, which previously had been trapped beneath. Now they were both standing still on the dance floor, this minor accident having caused them to pause the dance.

"Hahaha, I don't think that's a real dance move." She said, now recovered from her anger, and laughing at the humor of it all.

Kazuya was again impressed by the way Jun refused to get mad. It was something he had never seen anyone else do in his entire life. Part of him really missed it.

_It's like she's incapable of any negative emotions… only good ones, all the time._

Finally he spoke. "Are you alright?"

Jun's expression turned to a slightly surprised one, almost as if she had been caught off guard by the question. "Yes Kazuya. My foot is a little sore, but other than that, I feel great."

Kazuya recoiled, suddenly realizing the strange sincerity of his previous question. _Snap out of it Kazuya. You don't ask questions like that… she's clearly okay and there's no need to ask._

Jun simply smiled back at him, completely aware of the "mistake" he just made. To her, it was cute, and served as proof that the man had a softer side.

"Well," said Kazuya, "Are you going to continue with that story? There are still a lot of questions you have to answer."

"Sure, as long as you start dancing again."

Kazuya sighed. He was hoping the woman wouldn't notice.

_One two three… one two three… one two three…_

Kazuya brought his left foot forward again, starting the step perfectly back up…

…and kicked Jun in the shin again.

"Ow!" She whispered. "Are you serious?"

Kazuya frowned again. _Dammit. Not again…_

"I thought you would be ready this time." He said pleadingly.

Jun giggled quietly, and then replied. "Yeah right. As if that was MY fault. Hahaha."

Despite almost being amused by Jun's sarcasm, Kazuya remained stoic and distant.

"Fine… Are you ready now?" He asked in an equally sarcastic tone.

"Yes." She said softly.

"Ahem…" He began. "One two three… one two three… one two three…"

At once, the couple resumed dancing again, just as they had been before.

"So…" mumbled Kazuya. "You were saying?

Jun batted her eyes once, and nodded. "Yes… so as I was saying, my consciousness and spirit had been living in Jin's mind for several years, until I learned that you, Kazuya, had somehow been revived. Then came the events of the fourth tournament, which drew you, Heihachi, and Jin together at the same time. I watched patiently as the tournament progressed, then witnessed the final showdown between you and your father."

"Kazuya, you don't understand how shocking that was for me. After nearly two decades of thinking you were dead, I watched in wonder and amazement, through Jin's eyes, as you battled Heihachi, and won. I remember feeling something pulling my consciousness and spirit towards you, but I was so scared, I resisted. I had to…"

"Then you attacked Jin, and he defeated you. Watching my own son fight and nearly kill you, his own father, was heartbreaking to me. It made me feel like I had failed in raising him. And when he also defeated Heihachi, I realized just how far Jin was willing to go. By this time, my strength and energy had built up a lot, which enabled me to finally make contact with the outside world. As Jin looked over the unconscious Heihachi, ready to kill him, I finally rose out of my desolation. Appearing to Jin in a vision, I convinced him to spare Heihachi's life, for the sake of my memory. After several tense moments, he agreed, and then left Heihachi alone."

"So." Interrupted Kazuya. "You convinced Jin to save Heihachi's life? That was a terrible decision." He said insultingly.

Jun, not showing her disappointment, replied calmly. "Heihachi was defenseless. I know that the man has done some terrible things, but that doesn't mean that it would be okay to kill him in cold blood." She argued.

"It should be…" mumbled Kazuya.

"Well it's not." Reaffirmed Jun. "And it never will be. No matter what another human being does, it is never right to kill them, not unless you absolutely have to."

"That's where we seem to disagree." Said Kazuya. "Had I been in your position, I would have told Jin to kill him. And I would have watched happily as he did it."

For the first time that night, Jun frowned. "I see… well I suppose we can discuss that later then…" She said.

"I suppose we will…" replied Kazuya stubbornly.

Jun picked up her story again, putting the minor disagreement out of her mind for the moment. "So, I had just convinced Jin to spare Heihachi's life, when I felt a dark presence overtake me. It was Jin's Devil. By revealing myself to Jin, I also accidentally revealed myself to The Devil. Apparently the Devil had no idea that I was residing in Jin's mind the whole time, so when It found out, needless to say, It was very upset. The dark spirit then proceeded to overpower me and my spirit, and kick us out of Jin's mind for good. Once again, my spirit and my consciousness were floating free."

"So, you went to the next nearest human being?" asked Kazuya.

"Yes, I did." Said Jun as her previous frown started to disappear. "Unfortunately, the nearest human being at the time was Heihachi Mishima…"

"You're kidding me. You did not go into Heihachi's mind." Asked Kazuya as he felt his blood turn cold.

_If Jun was sucked into Heihachi's mind, then I feel truly bad for her. I can only imagine what kind of twisted horrors exist in that madman's brain…_

"No, I did not. My spirit started to slowly gravitate towards him though, and as soon as I realized it, I started to panic. I could only imagine what kind of twisted horrors existed in his mind…"

_Exactly… _thought Kazuya.

"So I started to fight back. It took every ounce of my strength to do, but somehow I managed to avoid him. After viciously pulling against my spirit, I managed to change the direction, and go somewhere else."

"Somewhere else? Where was that?" Asked Kazuya.

Jun's expression turned serious. "You know that spirits will naturally head to the closet human mind, so when Heihachi's mind was bypassed, there was only one other place to go, Kazuya."

Kazuya suddenly felt a rush of realizations overtake him.

_If she didn't head to Heihachi… and Jin was already out of the building… then that means the only other person she could have gone to was…_

"You." She said quietly. "I went to you, Kazuya, and I entered your mind."

Kazuya was in shock. "You-you- you did what? You entered my mind?" He stuttered.

"Yes… I did." She said solemnly.

Kazuya stared blankly at the woman before him. _She's been in inside of my mind? For how long? What did she find? What did she see? What did she do? How did she get out?_

"And Kazuya…" she began. "There's something else I need to tell you."

"No." interrupted Kazuya. "Before you do that, I need to know something."

"Okay…" said Jun.

Kazuya looked at the woman deeply before asking his question. "How long were you in my mind? And how did you escape?"

Jun sighed, and diverted her eyes to the ground.

"That's exactly what I wanted to tell you just now…"

"What?" He asked with anticipation lining his voice.

"I… I have not left yet." She said.

He stared at Jun, completely floored by what he just heard. However, Jun was apparently not finished yet.

"Kazuya… I am in your mind right now."

**End Chapter Five**

(Thank you for reading! Chapter six will be uploaded sooner or later. (How vague…) Anyway, what did you guys think of chapter five? Do you like Jun more now? Do you hate her more? Do you think she and Kazuya are a good pair? How do you think Kazuya will respond to Jun being inside his mind? What would happen if Kazuya tried to learn the tango instead? The thing is, these are not rhetorical questions. I seriously want to know. Like, I'm not joking one bit. Please tell me. I want to know. SO REVIEW! And thank you all so much for being a fan!)


	6. Fade

(Hello fans of Tekken! Those of you who have been following my story for a long time have probably noticed my constant changing of the cover image, and found it quite annoying. Well, rest assured, because I have finally gone and made a new, permanent cover image for my stories. Its black, it says "some stories deserve to be told", you really can't miss it. Anyway, chapter six is here, and with it comes some more interesting plot developments. I can see by the reviews that you guys thought Kazuya has been going a little out of character lately, which is a point I totally agree with. For this chapter coming up Kazuya will be acting more like his old self again, which can either be a good thing or a bad thing. Good for you guys, but bad for everyone in the story. Haha, well, I hope you enjoy it, and I would like to thank you all for reviewing! Especially…)

SecretlyInLoveWithYourFanfic- I know, right? This is some trippy stuff coming up, but don't worry, it will all make sense. There will be some supernatural elements to the story, but I promise they won't get out of hand. Too often have I seen great books and movies ruined by overcomplicated supernatural themes. *cough* *cough* Indiana Jones Crystal Skull.

Kara- Tank you for reviewing! I'm glad you thought Kazuya was funny, because I was trying to make him seem kind of unintentionally humorous. And there will be a lot more new developments between Kazuya and Jun this chapter, so get ready!

Annonimos- First of all, thank you for answering the tango question! Seeing Kazuya Mishima dance the tango is honestly something I would pay money to see. And yes, I'm sorry for always ending at the suspenseful parts, but it's just so much fun! Also thank you for mentioning the game continuity. Before I wrote that last chapter, I sat down for a solid half hour and just read up on the Tekken storyline, to ensure that I got a relatively canon background for these characters. Worth it? I guess so.

TekkenTitan- Indeed it is rare to see Kazuya out of character. I wanted to show him act differently around Jun than around other people, but maybe I went a little overboard with it. Anyway, Kazuya will be acting more in character this time, so brace yourself for that cold hearted killer we all know and love! Thank you for reviewing!

xoxoGG- If you like chapter one, then I bet you'll like the other ones too! Thank you very much for reviewing, and I hope to see you keep up with the drawn out JUUUNNNNN again!

**The Return**

**Chapter Six**

"Kazuya?"

"Kazuya?"

"Kazuya! Are you alright?"

"Hey! Kazuya! Why did you stop dancing?"

"Kazuya! Come on, say something!"

Jun pleaded desperately with Kazuya as he stood next to her on the dance floor. Not dancing, not talking, not moving, practically not breathing, he stood like a statue. He was frozen in place, not deviating an inch from the location he was standing in when Jun told her secret.

_She's… in my mind…? Right now?_

Kazuya stared straight ahead, right at the woman before him. While he was technically looking directly at her, his blank stare seemed to go right past her, as if he did not even notice her at all. It was this blank, distant, frozen stare that Jun was starting to get worried about.

"Kazuya, please don't stand there like that… please, just say something! I know you must be upset with me now, but you can at least say something! Please Kazuya, just talk to me!"

_What... What is she? What am I even looking at? What have I been dancing with all night? Is she just an illusion? Just a figment of my imagination? What the hell is she…?_

Jun started to get a worried expression on her face. She knew that Kazuya would not be pleased at this news, but she never expected him to react this way.

_I can see her, I can hear her, I can touch her… but is she real? How can she be real if she is inside my head? She can't be in two places at once, can she?_

"Kazuya… please, just speak to me. I know you're mad, and I'm truly sorry for not telling you. I wanted to tell you, but I had no choice!"

_Years… she was in my head for years, and she never told me._

_She's been watching me…_

"Listen, I'm sorr-"

"No." he said abruptly.

Jun stopped talking immediately and stared back ta Kazuya's sudden outburst.

Taking a deep, angry sounding breath, Kazuya focused back on Jun, and looked her in the eye. "You were in my head for years… and you never told me. You didn't even let me know."

"Kazuya I had no choice!" She said pleadingly. "If I revealed myself too soon, then your Devil spirit would have kicked me out! Just like Jin's did!"

"I am not like him. But that's not important. What I really want to know… is what the hell you are." He demanded calmly.

Jun, despite appearing caught off-guard by the way Kazuya referred to her, managed to keep her composure. "I am Jun Kazama, as I always have been." She said.

"Not who are you," he clarified. "WHAT are you."

Jun sighed. "I know what you're thinking Kazuya, and no, I am not a vision. I am not an illusion and I am not some mix of smoke and mirrors."

"How can you be in my head and right in front of me at the same time."

"Because right now, technically at this exact moment, I am not in your head. When I have enough strength gathered up, I am able pull my consciousness and my spirit out of your body, and forge a new body out of nothing. That is what you are seeing right now. I am the physical manifestation of my own consciousness."

Kazuya was silent. He wasn't sure how to respond. Part of him was curious as to how exactly Jun could do such a thing, but another part of him was slowly becoming furious with her. He looked at the woman and saw someone who had lied to him, who had hid in my mind for years, and who had played him like a fool. His anger grew.

"This is not my real body. Like I said, my real body is probably somewhere in the forests of Japan right now, nothing but bones and decaying skin. But when it comes to spirituality, bodies are not necessary. Even though mine is gone, I am able live on through you, Kazuya."

Kazuya was silent still. _She's been living off of my mind for all these years. Secretly, playfully, like a damned parasite..._

Finally, he spoke. "You're out of my head right now, yes?"

Jun nodded. "I am."

Kazuya leaned in and looked Jun straight in the eyes, making sure she was able to hear his next words.

"Stay out!" He yelled.

Jun was taken aback. "Stay out? Kazuya what are you talking about? I cannot stay out of your mind, I need it to survive!"

"No you don't." he angrily retorted. "You're able to make your own little imaginary body out of thin air, aren't you? Well stay in that thing, and leave me alone!"

"Kazuya, I can't. Making this body takes an extraordinary amount of strength, and I can only do it for about an hour at a time. If I try to do it for any longer than that, I'll have no strength left to live!"

Kazuya was getting mad. He felt like every time he said something, Jun was ready to refute it with a point of her own. Hearing that his mind was being shared with another human being made him feel dirty, almost like his being had been compromised.

"Please, it's not as bad as you think. I haven't done anything to you for years, shouldn't that be proof enough that you can trust me?" She pleaded.

"I don't care about trust!" He said. "What I care about is that you used me for all these years without even telling me! How would you like it if one day someone showed up, claiming that they've been watching every move you've ever made?"

"That's not true. I haven't been watching you like you think I have."

"Well whatever you were doing in there, you did it without even letting me know. You should know by now, that's not how things work with me."

"Kazuya, I would have told you, but I couldn't! The Devil would have destroyed me before I got a chance to contact you!"

"I could have handled It." He said.

"No you couldn't have… He was more powerful than He let you know."

"I still could have." He said defiantly.

"No, Kazuya, you couldn't have."

"I could have." He said again, this time with slight aggravation in his voice.

"Your Devil despises anything that gets in its way, and if It realized who I was, there was no telling what It would have done."

"Whatever it would have done, I could have handled it. Nobody can overpower me!"

Jun looked at him with a saddened look on her face. Kazuya's overconfidence and stubbornness were fully evident now. "Kazuya, It would have done things that you have never seen It do, believe me."

Kazuya was fuming.

_Nobody tells me what I can and cannot do!_

"Listen here," he said. "You might think you know about me and my mind, but I assure you that whatever you think is not true."

Jun looked at him, slightly taken aback by the sudden anger he exhibited.

Continuing with what would turn out to be a long tirade, Kazuya released his grip on Jun's back, and let their fingers slip apart. Slowly, Jun took her hand off of Kazuya's shoulder, disconnecting the two even further still.

"I don't who you think you are, coming in here out of nowhere and telling me that you know more about my own mind than I do. Yes, you might say you are Jun Kazama, and you might have a stupid necklace for proof, but that still doesn't mean I have to believe you."

"Kazuya I-"

"No." He cut her off. "You're done talking. You've had more than enough time to talk."

Kazuya, now separate from Jun, leaned in close again.

"I wanted to talk to you, but all you wanted to do was play games tonight. That's the problem with you, Jun… All you want to do is play games! It might have been fun when we were younger, but times are different now! You and I are adults! We are grown, responsible adults here, and it's about damn time you started to act like it, okay?"

Jun said nothing. She quietly held her hands in front of her, clasped together in a timid retreat.

"I am the head of a multi-billion dollar corporation! I have an image to keep up! I have a company to run! I have priorities to deal with! I don't have the time to play childish games like this with you anymore. If you really wanted to dance with somebody, then just pick out any one of these poor idiots! They'd do it!"

"Kazuya…" said Jun, her voice sounding like it was on the verge of tears. "I don't want anyone else. I wanted to dance with you."

"Well I didn't want to dance with you! Did you ever question that? No! You, Jun Kazama, off in your little dream world where everything is perfect and everyone is happy all the time, just didn't care. You didn't care that I didn't want to dance, you didn't care that I didn't want to make idle small talk, and you didn't care that I have things to do!"

Jun opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by Kazuya yelling more.

"I don't care what our relationship used to be like! I don't care that we used to go dancing, and go on walks, and do god knows what every night! Those days are done and gone, Jun! What you need to do is get with the damn times! Look around you! Do you see any children here? Do you see any little children running around playing hide and seek with each other? I don't! So why the hell are you playing hide and seek with ME?!"

"Please, Kazuya-"

"You've been hiding in my head like a scared little rabbit for years. And you decided to never tell me? How the hell did you think I would respond to that, Jun? I can see from the expression on your face that you think I'm overreacting, but I want to ask you something. How am I overreacting? What would you do if you found out someone was watching every move you made for the past five or more years of your life? How would you like it, Jun? How would you like it?"

Jun was silent.

"You wouldn't! And that's why I'm reacting like this! Because it's not something you can just do to people!"

Some of the other dancers around the floor began to notice Kazuya's yelling. Some of them quickly glanced over in his directions, while others stopped moving fully and watched curiously as he screamed.

"And you let me cryptic little flirtatious phone calls? What are you? Sixteen years old?!"

"Kazuya, please, just let me speak…"

"You tried to sound so damn mysterious, like some wise, ancient ghost or something. But you're not! When I heard you voice and read your little messages, I thought you would be at least slightly mature! Instead of this intelligent, wise, powerful spirit you made yourself out to be, you're nothing more than a normal, confused, selfish human being! Nothing more!"

Jun looked like she had given up trying to speak.

"And you even got Angel to bother me for you! What were you thinking?! If you truly have been in my head for the last few years then you should know that I can't stand that bitch! Why the hell would you pull her out of the gutter like that! She also built you up! She made you sound like an all-powerful savior or something! WELL YOU'RE NOT!"

Small tears began to form at the corners of her eyes.

"I don't need a savior! I don't need to be saved! You show up out of nowhere one night, expecting me to play games, dance with you, run around, then accept you as my long lost love? In case you don't remember, things between us did not end well! We might have had some stupid young romantic relationship, but that's all it ever was! There was never any love between us, there was never any connection! We are nothing!"

"Nothing?" said Jun through her welling tears. "Nothing? Kazuya, we have a son together! How can you say that we are nothing?"

Kazuya crossed his arms and looked at the woman with disgust. "Millions of children are born every day. It doesn't matter that we turned out to be one of those million daily mistakes."

"Million daily mistakes? Is that how you view your own son? As a mistake?!"

"Yes, a mistake! He is obnoxious, pitiful, violent, foolish, misguided, vengeful, stupid, rebellious, and weak! He always was weak, and he always will be!"

Jun's tears disappeared as her sadness turned to anger. She stood quietly by as Kazuya insulted her, but when it came to her son, she could not hold her fury back.

"He is your son! Your own flesh and blood! Are you seriously determining his worth based on his strength? How could you be so cold? That is exactly what Heihachi did to you! Do you not remember how he always called you weak? Tell me Kazuya, WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HIM AND YOU!"

Kazuya's blood began to boil. "Don't you dare compare me to that man! Don't you even mention his name!"

Jun's eyes narrowed. This was an expression that Kazuya did not even know Jun was capable of showing. "I don't have to mention his name. I feel like I'm looking at him right now…"

Kazuya's eyes narrowed in response. He put his arms down at his sides and clenched each fist tightly.

"You…"He started.

"You what?" finished Jun. "Are you going to call me a bitch? Just like you called Angel a bitch? God, Kazuya, I remember you being rude sometimes, but never in all the years I knew you did you ever go around cursing at people who tried to help you!"

Kazuya's expression did not waiver.

"I don't have time for this." He sneered. Kazuya took one more look at the woman, then spun on his heels and walked quickly away from her. Hundreds of startled dancers encircled him and Jun, forcing him to push them out of the way as he went.

As the crowds of people whispered around him, Kazuya did not care. His head was full of fury and anger towards the woman he had just spoken with.

_Who the hell does she think she is!_

Making his way across the dance floor, Kazuya climbed a small set of steps and headed towards a nearby hallway. Beyond the hallway was his helicopter, waiting patiently for him to board.

_I should have just gotten on the damn helicopter and left. I should have known better than to agree with a single thing that woman says. I should have known better!_

Stomping along the corridor, Kazuya kept himself occupied with angry thoughts. Any passing servants or party guests quickly ran out of the way as they saw him coming. Again, he was alone in the hallway.

The helicopter came into view in the distance, and there, leaning lazily on the side of it was the pilot; Captain Reike. When he saw Kazuya coming, he quickly stood up and saluted. Kazuya, who was now almost at the helicopter, yelled at him.

"Get in. Take me to the tower."

"Yes sir." Replied Reike in a military-like tone. He quickly turned around and opened the cockpit door, climbing in hurriedly.

Just as he was about to get in the passenger side, Kazuya heard a familiar voice again.

"Kazuya! Wait!" Yelled the voice. He recognized it instantly as Jun.

Kazuya spun on his heels and faced the woman again. She was speed-walking down the hallway, picking up the sides of her dress as she hurried along. Kazuya crossed his arms and scowled at her. "Don't even bother! I'm done talking to you!"

Jun came up right in front of Kazuya, and stopped running. She fixed her hair with one hand, then looked at him directly. "I… I'm sorry for what I said back there. That's not usually how I act."

Kazuya scoffed. "If you're expecting me to apologize as well, then I'm not going to. Mostly everything I said just now is the truth, and I'm not going to take any of it back. I want you to get out of my mind, and leave me alone forever."

"Kazuya you know I can't do that. I don't have any other body to use!"

"Pick someone. Look at all the people around you, I'm sure some young man would be absolutely thrilled to take you."

"I'm not doing that."

"Why not."

"Because I'm just not! Kazuya, I need to be with you!"

"You need to? No you don't!"

"Yes, I do! Not for my sake … for your sake."

Kazuya's eyes narrowed. _She thinks she's some sort of a savior. I knew she thought as much._

"You aren't here to save me. I don't need saving!" He yelled.

"I'm not trying to save you, Kazuya. I'm trying to help you! And before you yell at me more, please just listen to what I have to say."

The door to the helicopter cockpit opened, and Captain Reike stuck his head out. "Mr. Mishima, the copter is ready to-" He stopped his sentence short when he saw that Kazuya was with a woman. "Uh…" he said, eying Jun through his sunglasses, "I'll just wait for you, then, sir."

Kazuya nodded at him, then turned back to Jun. "You have five minutes. Then I'm getting on that chopper and getting the hell out of here, understood?"

"Five minutes is all I need." Said Jun confidently. "I apologize for being so immature with you earlier Kazuya, I realize now that I should have told you what I am about to say first, instead of saying it now."

"Get on with it." Said Kazuya impatiently.

"Okay…" She said. Taking a deep breath, Jun prepared to tell Kazuya what she had wanted to say to him for years. "Normally when people try to "help" their friends, they are not actually doing any help. This is a point I assume you agree with very much. During your life, both before and after your death in the volcano, were you not approached by people who claimed they wanted to "help" you?"

Kazuya nodded reluctantly. Many times had he met people who said they wanted to help him become a better person, then actually turn out to be just looking out for themselves.

"The reason these people were lying is because they were trying to change you Kazuya. That was their biggest mistake."

_What is she trying to say?_

"If you truly love someone, and want to help them honestly, then you should never force them to change who they are. Human beings do experience some deviation over the course of their lifetime, but for the most part, their personalities and their spirits never change. This is why forcing someone to change never works. And that is why I am not going to try and force YOU to change, Kazuya."

Instead of agreeing with Jun's argument, Kazuya was more confused now.

"That's why we got so close in the first place. When we met, all those years ago, neither of us tried to make the other change. It truly was amazing, wasn't it? Who could imagine me, a tree-hugging animal rights activist, would fall in love with someone like you, a billionaire weapons-manufacturing businessman? I've often wondered why it ever worked between such polar opposites like us, and I think it was because of the way we treated each other's personalities. Sure, I didn't like the things you did, and I bet you didn't like the things I did, but somehow we just managed to ignore that. As if… as if it was only the person themselves that mattered, not the things they did."

Kazuya, despite being slightly swayed by the sweet, reminiscing argument, remained stoic. "Where are you going with this?" he asked.

"I'm trying to say that I'm going to treat you like I did all those years ago. Basically, I'm not going to try to change you. You have done certain things that I don't agree with, but that's all in the past, and we can just focus on the present. I care about you, Kazuya. Not as a businessman, not as a fighter, and not as a host. I care about you as a human being."

Kazuya said nothing.

"That's why I won't try to change you. That's why I won't try to force you into someone you're not. Instead of me leading you around in circles and forcing you to draw MY conclusions, I'm going to let you convince yourself."

"Let me convince myself? What do you mean by that."

"I mean, the things that you have done, they prove that you are not a terrible human being. I don't need to convince you of it, because all you have to do is look back on your life and see for yourself. You are a good person, Kazuya. You don't operate like a machine, and you do have a conscience. You care about other people, you get involved with the well-being of others, you drive others to do their best, and you help people who need it. You, Kazuya Mishima, DO have a heart."

Looking down on the woman, Kazuya was not quite sure what to think. If she wanted to prove what she said, then she would need a lot of evidence. As far as he was concerned, Kazuya Mishima was a cold, calculating killer. He did not care about others, and he did not let the weakness of people around him interfere with his own life. To him, Jun was completely wrong.

"Like I said, I don't need to spend hours trying to convince you of this. I merely need to help you come to the conclusions you were going to make on your own. For instance, I know you have been having doubts recently. I know that you are doubting your need for power.

_How did she know that? Oh, she has been in my mind. Of course she knows that…_

"Things like that, things that you are already aware of, but unwilling to consider, is the reason I'm here. Your own stubbornness is what is preventing you from realizing them."

Tired of hearing Jun drone on, Kazuya demanded she continue. "If you're so sure of this, then tell me an example." He said.

Jun nodded in agreement. "Certainly. Let us consider earlier this morning, when you stumbled upon the romantic escapades of two of your favorite employees."

"Lee and Jane? What about them?"

"What about them? Look at how you reacted, Kazuya. You, a man of violence and unbreakable ideals, should have fired them on the spot. In fact, you should have killed them too. But you didn't. And I'm here to ask you why. Why, Kazuya? Why did you let them continue their relationship?"

"Kazuya was beginning to feel uncomfortable. "Because I wanted them to work harder, that's all." He answered.

"Work harder? Are you kidding yourself? You know very well that sex just works to distract people. If anything, their productivity will go down, now that they're a couple."

Kazuya opened his mouth to protest, but shut it as he realized that Jun was right. _Obviously they're going to work less now… how could I be so foolish?_

"When you told yourself that letting them stay together would increase their work performance, it was just a trick. You didn't make a foolish mistake, you just tried to play a trick on yourself. Deep down, you though that Lee and Jane were good together, and when you decided that you wanted them to be happy, it made you fell weak, didn't you?"

Kazuya did not move at all, but in his mind, he agreed. When he saw how happy Lee and Jane were being, he almost felt jealous. Jealous that he couldn't feel that way. Instantly he knew that he didn't want to break it up, but he felt bad about it.

_I am a Tekken fighter. I can't go around condoning sexual relations in the workplace! And yet, for some reason, I just couldn't bring myself to say no to them… Is what Jun said true about me? Do I really care about the feelings of others?_

Continuing with her eye-opening monologue, Jun addressed Kazuya's justification for his choice. "You told yourself that you did it because you wanted to increase Lee's work, but even now, you know that is a lie. Just a lie that you fooled yourself with, so you wouldn't feel weak for doing what you did. But Kazuya… there is no reason to feel bad about making that decision. There's no need to lie to yourself."

"In fact, I think it was the right thing to do. Those two work so hard for you, I bet it made them happy to no end to finally form a relationship. By letting them continue their relationship, you made Jane and Lee immeasurably happy, I know it. And THAT is nothing to be ashamed of."

"It is, when you're me." said Kazuya.

"That's what's wrong, Kazuya, you have created an image for yourself that you cannot shake. In your mind, you have defined how you think you should act, how you think you should talk, and how you think you should appear. That image is not you."

"That image is not the REAL Kazuya Mishima."

Letting her tirade come to a close, Jun was silent. She looked hopefully up at Kazuya, waiting for him to respond. Kazuya, similarly, was waiting for him to respond as well. He had not expected Jun's words to mean anything, but for some reason they made a lot of sense to him.

All the doubt that he had been experiencing, all the troubles and confusing decisions, seemed to make sense now. As much as he hated to admit it, Jun was right.

Seeing that Kazuya would not respond, Jun started again on a different topic. "And would you like another example? How about what happened only a few hours ago? I saw how you acted with that blonde girl, Kazuya. I saw how happy you made her."

"You mean Lili?" he asked.

"Yes, her. You didn't have to say what you said. You didn't have to tell her father those things, but you did anyway. You did it because you-"

Suddenly, Jun stopped mid-sentence. Her eyes opened wide, and she seemed to stare off into the distance, away from Kazuya.

Seeing this, Kazuya became confused again. "Jun? What are you doing?"

Jun, however, did not answer. Her mouth hung open slightly, as if she had been in the middle of a word, and was suddenly cut off.

"Jun?" asked Kazuya again, becoming slightly worried at her strange behavior.

She slowly picked up a hand and pressed it against her forehead, and closed her eyes. Jun took a deep breath, and stumbled slightly, looking as if she was drunk.

Kazuya thought she was about to fall over or something. It looked like her entire body had just gone limp.

"Kazuya…" She said. "I… I… I feel very weak. I think I have remained in this body for too long…"

"What do you mean?" Asked Kazuya, who was ready to catch the woman, should she accidentally fall over.

"I told you… In order for me to create this body, I need strength. Well it would appear that I've… run out of strength." Just then, as she finished her sentence, Jun leaned forward, and started to fall. Kazuya leapt forward and caught her gently, holding her and supporting her in the air. He could hear her breathing heavily now.

"I'm sorry Kazuya… I don't think I can stay here any longer…"

"Where are you going to go?" He asked, holding Jun by the shoulders, and looking deeply into her eyes.

"Back to your mind…" She mumbled.

"Back to my mind? No! I told you, I don't want you in my mind anymore! Go somewhere else!" Pleaded Kazuya.

"I'm sorry…" She said. "I have to. It's the only place I can go to regain my strength."

Kazuya was thoroughly worried now. The thought of having another human being inside of his mind was one that troubled him deeply. Despite the fact that she had existed there for years without him noticing, he felt very uncomfortable regardless.

"When are you going to return?" He asked.

"When I have gathered my strength again…" she responded quietly. Jun honestly looked like she was about to fall into a coma.

"When will that be?"

Jun slumped forward again, now resting entirely on Kazuya for support. "I'm…I'm not sure. Maybe tomorrow… maybe next week."

Kazuya didn't know what to say.

"Kazuya I'm sorry for coming and leaving like this… I really am… but I will return again soon. You and I still have much to talk about…" She said.

"Jun, come on. Snap out of it." Said Kazuya pleadingly.

"And Kazuya…?" Said Jun quietly.

"Yes?"

"Thank you for dancing with me…" She said. A faint smile could be seen crossing her lips, then it vanished. Then, following suit with her smile, Jun's entire body began to fade away.

It started with her dress, which changed gradually from a pure white to a more dull grey. As her dress faded darkly, Jun's skin began to grow more pale and clear, almost up to the point where it was transparent.

Kazuya watched with amazement as the woman vanished from his arms. Slowly he realized that she was getting lighter and lighter as her body faded, meaning that she truly was disappearing. Eventually her skin became completely transparent, and then finally invisible as her dress faded into mere shadows. Catching one more glimpse of Jun smiling lightly, Kazuya realized she was gone.

He knelt there for several more seconds, his arms outstretched and upturned as if they were holding an invisible body of some sort. Of course, there was no body to be found, so he merely gripped thin air. He blinked several times, then looked around him in a circle. Jun was gone.

He sighed, and then stood up. _Okay… I need to regain my composure._

With this in mind, Kazuya shook his head violently, then straightened up and rubbed his temples. Suddenly he turned around, and faced the waiting helicopter. Reike sat in the cockpit, facing straight ahead, as not to disturb Kazuya's privacy. Walking slowly over to the passenger door, Kazuya opened it and climbed inside.

As soon as the door shut, Reike started up the rotors, and within seconds the craft was airborne. Plotting a course for the tower, Reike sat back and prepared for a relaxing ride.

Kazuya, on the other hand, would be having a ride that was anything but relaxing.

…

…

(Four hours later)

(Several dozen miles from the Mishima Zaibatsu Tower)

…

…

The alley was dark.

A light rain had started to fall, evenly wetting all the piles of trash and metal that lined each side of the alley. A single light bulb, protected from the rain by a metal covering, glowed lazily from above. Every few seconds a car would pass, or a stray dog would bark, but other than that, it was quiet. And aside from the additional hum of machinery and industry that always came with this seedy section of town, the place was dead silent.

In that silent alley, a lone girl stood.

She was leaning against the wall, with her arms crossed over her chest and head facing down. She wore a tight black full body suit, which hugged her body's curves and edges. Had she not been soaking wet, standing in a dark alley, and holding a sharp knife, the girl could have easily passed as a model of some sort.

Over her shoulders she wore leather guards, each one being colored a dark tan material. From these guards, a hood rose out and covered the girls head, hiding it from view. Or, at least, TRYING to hide it from view. The strange, white mask that protruded out of her dark hood was impossible to hide, after all.

The mask was white, black, and red, with the predominant color being white. It had two long ears that stuck out from the top, and a long, black-tipped nose from the front. This mask was tied onto the girl's face with the utmost care, in a way that showed it was never meant to be taken off.

The long knife that the girl held was actually called a kunai, and it was her favorite weapon. She held the killing machine lightly in her hands, almost as if she was getting tired of holding it. She paused to shake her head and remove some of the rain that had landed on her.

This girl was named Kunimitsu. And she was waiting for a meeting.

Just as she was about to get up and leave, her contact arrived. Two minutes late might not seem like a big deal to the average person, but to Kunimitsu and the people she dealt with… timing was everything.

The man walked down the alleyway in silence, stopping only when he was finally right in front of Kunimitsu. He wore a long grey rain jacket with a hood that covered his face and shrouded it in shadows. Of course, Kunimitsu did not need to see the man's face, for she already knew who it was.

"Kazuya…" She said smoothly. "You're late."

Kazuya Mishima lifted up both hands and pulled back the edges of his hood, revealing his face. Taking a quick breath, Kazuya looked from side to side, then back at the woman before him.

"Kunimitsu. So glad you could come…"

Kunimitsu folded her arms more tightly, almost like a pouty teenage girl does when she does not get what she wants.

"I told you on the phone. I don't have anything more to tell you about Raven right now. He seems to be taking a break."

Kazuya frowned. "Men like Raven never just "take breaks.". But that's not what I'm here to talk to you about."

"Then what do you want?" She asked as she finally looked up from the ground.

"Forget about Raven. I have a new target for you."

"Forget Raven?" She replied angrily. "I've spent almost a year gaining his trust! How can I just throw that out the window?"

"I'm tripling your pay." Answered Kazuya.

Without even thinking, Kunimitsu nodded her head in agreement. "As you wish. Money talks."

"Thought so." Said Kazuya lazily. "Anyway, your new mission is not reconnaissance anymore. I need you to find someone. Hunt them down, if you will."

Immediately Kunimitsu's pouty teenage girl look returned.

"I'm not going after your damn son, Kazuya. Searching for Jin is a waste of time and you know it."

Kazuya said nothing.

Kunimitsu continued. "If the "great" Nina Williams hasn't found him yet, what makes you think I can do it? There are a lot of things I would do for a tripled salary, but looking for your emotional little boy is not one of them."

Finally Kazuya spoke. "Jin is not the target. It's someone else."

Now Kunimitsu was getting confused. "If it's not Jin, then who am I looking for?"

Kazuya reached in his pants pocket and removed a single picture. It seemed to be a still image taken off some kind of security camera. The date at the corner of the image said that the picture was taken only a few hours ago.

Kunimitsu looked at the picture, then back up at Kazuya. "Who the hell is this?"

Kazuya put both his hands in his pockets, then slowly turned to walk away. As he made his way down the soaking wet alleyway, he turned his head around and said one more thing over his shoulder.

"Figure it out. You have one week."

**End Chapter Five**

(How mysterious… I wonder who Kunimitsu is going after? If you want to know, I guess you'll just have to read chapter seven, whenever it comes out, that is. Anyway, thank you so much for reading my story, and if you feel like getting your own little shout out at the start of next chapter, then just leave a review! Until next time.)


	7. Kunimitsu

(Hello fans of Tekken! I know what you're thinking; "Wow, this is an unusually fast update. What on earth cause him to update this fast?" Well, lemme tell ya; the subject matter for this chapter was very easy to write about, and very enjoyable to write about too. Chapter six left off with a cliff hanger which was the mystery of Kunimitsu's next target. This chapter, it will be revealed. Kindof… Anyway, this is the shortest chapter I've ever written which isn't saying much. This right here is 3,000 words. For most chapters on this site, that's about average or even a bit excessive. For me, this is barely anything. Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter, not only because it follows up on Kunimitsu(my favorite Tekken character), but also because it introduces a new player to this story. Two new players, that is. Both of these characters are official Tekken characters, and one of them is a fan favorite. I know you guys are going to enjoy it, and I hope you take the time to review! But above all, THANK YOU FOR BEING A PART OF THIS STORY! Now let's get on to the reviews.)

TekkenTitan- Excellent guess! Honestly with the shenanigans that these two families put up with between one another, it makes sense to assume that one of them would send an assassin to capture another one of them. If you want to know how correct or incorrect your guess was, then read on. Thank you!

Annonimos- Interesting theory. Jin will definitely be making an appearance in this story sooner or later, so for you, Annonimos, and all you Jin fans out there, brace yourself. As for the reactions of the people in the ballroom, that was one of my favorite parts! And yes, while it might not happen this chapter, you can expect Jun to return again soon. Thanks!

Kara- Did I just hear you say Asuka might be the next target? Oh boy, looks like we have a pretty damn good guess right here. I'm not saying that it will be her… but I'm also not saying it won't. And it seems we have another Jin fan here! I definitely agree with you, and I can't wait until the whole gang gets reunited later on. Thank you very much for reviewing!

Nina Kazama- Thank you! It means a lot to hear compliments like that from fellow writers on the site. Just so you know, I've been reading some of your stories ever since you reviewed mine, and I have to say, they're amazing. YOU keep up the good work too, alright?

SecretlyInLoveWithYourFanfic- I totally agree, that fight scene was some serious shit! I wanted it to be as dramatic and tense as possible, to show the true personalities of Jun and Kazuya. And yes, I never meant to make that disappearing scene similar to Jin's ending, but now that you mention it, I totally see the similarity. Talk about a fantastic game! Thank you so much!

**The Return**

**Chapter Seven**

"Asuka, could you pass the rice?"

Asuka looked down at the table and quickly searched for the rice. It was located in a small white cardboard container, as most takeout food is. Grabbing it with one hand, she picked it up and lifted it across the table, and placed it down closer to the person who asked for it. "There you go." She said politely.

"Thanks." Said the boy hungrily. He moved the box slightly closer to him, opened its top, and immediately shoved a fork into it. He scooped out a large amount of rice, then stuffed it eagerly into his mouth. As he did this, the other two people seated at the table eyes him suspiciously.

The other two people sitting at the table were Asuka Kazama, the skilled female martial artist, and her father, who was a master of the same art.

**(Authors note: Official Tekken canon never states Asuka's father's name. Thus I am improvising and calling him "Asukon Kazama")**

Asukon Kazama, Asuka's father, looked slowly from side to side. He sometimes glanced at the strange behavior of the boy sitting across from him, and sometimes at the worried look on his daughter's face. Covering his mouth with his hand, he looked directly at Asuka and coughed loudly.

Asuka picked up the subtle hint. Turning to the boy who had asked for the rice, she tapped him lightly on the shoulder. "Um… Dylan, I know you're not familiar with Japanese culture, but you're really not supposed to eat rice that way." She said timidly.

Dylan, which was the boy's name, looked up with a surprised expression on his face. He quickly swallowed the rice he already had in his mouth, and put down his fork and leaned in closer to Asuka. "Sorry about that… how am I supposed to do it?" He asked.

Asuka briefly considered explaining to him how to properly eat Japanese cuisine, but decided against it. Dylan was a nineteen year old American boy who had just moved to Japan, where he would be spending a semester of school learning the aspects of Japanese culture. This was only his fourth week in Japan, so the intricacies of Japan had really yet to set in with him.

He would be spending his semester abroad at the same school as Asuka, which was where he first met her. The two sat next to each other during one of their classes, and quickly became friends. Asuka found Dylan to be quite attractive, which, in reality he was. There were not many American boys in the school, so when an attractive one finally showed up, Asuka was proud to have put her stake down first.

They began flirting shortly after meeting, and it only took a few days of this for Asuka to realize that Dylan was no superman. For starters, he wasn't nearly as intelligent as he first appeared to be, and his manners were quite underdeveloped. Despite slowly starting to dislike the boy more and more, she continued flirting regardless. His rugged good looks and American stories were enough to keep her interested. Soon their flirtations turned into a relationship, and the two began dating.

This also revealed a less attractive side of Dylan; one that was somewhat rude, slow, lazy, and weird. However their relationship persevered nonetheless, up until the point where Asuka invited Dylan over to her house to have dinner and meet her dad.

As is the custom for all young men once they begin dating a girl, Dylan knew he had to meet the dad at some point. This is the part of a relationship that boys fear the most, and know to be highly dangerous. Should they do anything to upset the parents, their chances with the daughter would become very slim.

So, as the fates would allow, after only about a week of dating, Dylan was visiting the Kazama household for a little dinner. It was late, around 7:00 PM, and the weather was quite fair. The group sat around a table with chairs, upon which sat a wide assortment of Chinese takeout food. Asuka and her father knew that this cheap food was a poor representation of their culture, but they did not care. Sometimes you just have that craving…

Returning to the action on the dinner table, Asukon looked like he was about to say something. "So…" he began, attempting to make conversation with the strange boy seated across from him. "How is life in America? Is it much different there than here in Japan?" He asked.

"Nah." Said Dylan through mouthfuls of General Tso's chicken. "Really we do a lot of the same stuff. I mean, the food is different, and the cities are different, and the clothes are different, and the cars are different, and the customs are different, and the landscape is different, and the TV is different, and the schooling is different… but other than that we have a lot of things in common."

Asuka and her father looked at each other. Asuka tried to smile, but when she saw her father's stern expression, her smile disappeared. She knew that the boy was a disappointment, and that their relationship was going nowhere. It was only a matter of time until they split. As she considered how they would break-up, Dylan made another comment.

"Hey, if you don't mind me asking, can I use the can?" He asked.

Asukon looked at him with one eyebrow raised and a confused expression on his face. "The what?"

"The can." Dylan clarified. "You know, the jerry, the stall, the bowl, the crapper? You guys have one here, right? Hahaha."

Asukon was still horribly confused. He looked to his daughter for help.

Asuka looked at her father, then quickly across the table to Dylan. "Oh!" She said. "You must mean the restroom!"

Dylan smiled as he raised his fist in a thumbs up. "Yep! Where is it?"

Asuka sighed. "Just go down that hall, it's on the left." She said with defeat in her voice. This date was going horribly. It turned out Dylan was even less sophisticated than she had feared.

"Thanks." Said Dylan as he swallowed another mouthful of rice, then put down his fork. He put his hands on the table top and pushed himself up. As he rose, however, his hip hit the table, and caused it to shake violently.

A small bowl soy sauce that had been sitting near the edge of the table rocked and fell over from the force of the hit. It tipped completely over, and spilled everywhere. Before anyone could react, the liquid flowed a short distance across the table and fell onto Asuka's lap.

"Oh God!" She exclaimed as she tried to quickly get out of the way. It was no use, however, because the soy sauce had already splashed all over her white dress, staining it permanently.

"Oops!" said Dylan. "I'm sorry!"

Asukon got up from the table and walked hurriedly around it to Asuka's side. "Oh no, is this your brand new dress?" He asked with concern.

"Yes…" replied Asuka sadly. The dress had cost her a lot of money, some of which was borrowed directly from her father. If she had to buy a new one, it would cost hours of chores around the house.

Asukon looked quickly from side to side, then spoke to Asuka. "If we want to get this stain out, we have to move fast. Asuka, come with me, I'll try to see if I can save the dress."

Asuka quickly got up and feverishly wiped the stain with a napkin.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

"Now? Who on earth visits at a time like this?" asked Asuka, showing her displeasure at the whole predicament.

Asukon glanced at the door, then back to Asuka's dress. "I don't have time to answer the door and clean this stain. We need to do it now." he said. Then, he suddenly had an idea. "Oh, Dylan, could you please answer the door for me? Just say "Kazama residence" and tell them to wait a few minutes until I get there, okay?"

"Sure thing Mr. K." Answered Dylan.

"Good." Said Asukon. "Now let's see if we can work out this stain…" with that, he led Asuka down the hall to the laundry room. Walking inside, he shut the door behind them.

Dylan was left alone in the room. He quickly looked from side to side, and did the only logical thing; grab and eggroll.

Shoving the eggroll down his throat, the boy turned and walked towards the door. Again, the doorbell sounded off.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." He said as he reached for the handle. Turning it to the side, he pulled back the door and looked beyond it.

There standing on the doorway, was a young woman. She wore an all-black jumpsuit that was very tight and smooth. The girl couldn't be over twenty years old, and although he was already dating another woman, Dylan couldn't help but feel attracted to her.

Since the outfit was so tight, Dylan's eyes were instantly drawn to the girl's ample chest. Before he had a chance to say anything, the girl spoke.

"Hey asshole. My eyes are up here." She said. Her voice had a devious tenacious quality that Dylan had rarely heard in any other girls throughout his life. She sounded young, yet experienced, all while sounding feisty and unimpressed by the world around her.

Dylan realized his rude staring, and quickly looked up at the girl's face. His expression turned from entranced to shocked to confused in a matter of seconds.

"What the heck? Are you supposed to be trick or treating? I don't think Japan celebrates Halloween…" He said at the sight of the girl's mask.

Although Dylan had no way of seeing her face, the girl rolled her eyes. It was a white mask, resembling the face of a fox that protruded outwards from her nose. It was colored lightly at the eyebrows and along the eyes. It even had two long, matching ears to complete the image.

"Yeah." She said sarcastically. "Trick or treat. Give me all your shit. Blah blah blah…"

Now Dylan was getting really confused. Clearly not picking up on her sarcasm, he continued his own idiotic questioning. "Uh ma'am, I don't think you heard me. Here in Japan we don't celebrate Halloween. If I had some candy I would totally give it to you, but around here all they have is rice…"

The girl was about to smack him. However, she retained her anger and focused on the mission.

"Is this the home of Asukon Kazama?" She asked impatiently.

"Yeah." Replied Dylan.

"Is he on the premises?" The girl asked.

"Yeah, he's just in one of the back rooms. He should be here in a couple of minutes. You must be here to see him, right?"

"You could say that…"She answered darkly.

"Ok, well he'll be here in a little bit. Can I take a message for him?"

She looked at the boy with a conflicting mix of amusement and boredom. "Yeah, sure. Here's the message."

Then, faster than the eye could see, the girl whipped out a long knife and stabbed him in the shoulder.

He instinctively tried to scream, but was prevented when the girl let go of her knife, and covered his mouth firmly with her free hand. The knife sunk deep, and cut through several layers of flesh. It hurt immediately as it made contact, then escalated to the point where sharp pains were echoing all throughout Dylan's body.

Shutting off all sound from exiting his mouth, the girl spun Dylan around and grabbed his arms with her other hand. The knife protruded from his shoulder like a bayonet, stuck in place. Pulling on Dylan's arms and mouth, she made the boy fall backwards onto the ground. As he fell, the girl made sure to move out of the way as not to be crushed. When he had fallen on the ground, she started dragging him across the concrete.

She pulled his convulsing body several yards into a nearby bush, where she laid it down, and then, never removing her hand from his mouth, bent down to look at him. Dylan had a look of terrible fear in his eyes, mixed slightly with confusion and anger. The girl's gaze, however, was stoic.

"Yeah…" she said slowly. "That probably hurts a lot right? I bet it does."

Dylan looked up at the girl, unsure of what to think. On one hand, he was scared by her strange assassin-like skills, but on the other, he was confused by the calm and sociable demeanor she exhibited.

"But before you start thinking of your final words, let me stop you. This wound isn't enough to kill you. It isn't even enough to incapacitate you, for that matter. The real point of my attack was to insert an agent into your body."

Dylan was starting to get scared. Although he could not talk, he wanted more than anything to scream out or try to talk the woman out of what she was about to do.

"You see…" she continued. "The blade has been tipped with horse tranquilizer."

Suddenly Dylan started to feel himself go numb. Even as stupid as he was, he knew that horse tranquilizer was a substance not intended for human use. Within a matter of minutes, depending on the dosage, he would be completely unconscious.

"Nighty-night." Said the girl with a smile. She slowly stood up and removed her hand from over Dylan's mouth. Immediately he tried to scream, but found that the tranquilizer was already taking effect. He could barely muster the strength to move his mouth at all, yet alone sound off a cry for help. Instead, he just sat there with an open mouth and stared at the blurry image of the girl standing over him.

She looked continued to stare at him as she bent down and pulled the knife out of his shoulder. It slid out cleanly and smoothly, as if she was pulling it out of butter. Obviously the experience would have been extremely painful for a normal individual, but since Dylan's system was already being affected by the horse tranquilizer, he did not feel a thing.

He blinked rapidly now as his vision went into focus and then back out of focus at an increased rate. His entire body had started to go numb, and now he was in control of practically nothing but his head.

The girl pulled out a pristine white cloth and carefully wiped her knife clean. Once the blood was removed, she threw the bloody rag into the bushes and pulled out a second, identical cloth. This one, however, had a small amount of some strange looking green liquid already on it. The girl wrapped the cloth around her blade, and slowly slid it up and down the shaft. Just then, Dylan realized what it was; another dosage of horse tranquilizer.

Once the chemical had been applied, the girl threw the second rag into the bushes and carefully placed the knife back in its sheath on her leg. She continued to look at the boy as she asked her final question.

"Asuka Kazama. Is she inside?"

Dylan looked at her and opened his mouth to respond. However, no words came out. He had lost complete control of his body to the anesthetic chemical agent.

"Just nod or shake your head. Answer me or else I'll kick you in the balls."

For fear of his genitals, Dylan nodded his head slowly up and down. It was the most he could do.

Then, the girl kicked him in the balls.

Hard.

Dylan looked and saw her foot connect with his crotch, but felt no pain. He lazily looked back at her as he tried to keep his eyes open.

"That…" she said. "Was for staring at my chest."

The girl turned to walk away, but before she left, she spun around and kicked him in the balls again.

Again, it was a very hard hit, but Dylan felt no pain at all.

"And that…" she repeated. "Was for your table manners. Learn how to serve the damn rice next time you go on a date, okay? Pig…"

Finally, the girl turned to walk away. The last thing Dylan saw her do before he blacked out was pull a small photograph out of her pocket, and examine it. The girl looked carefully at the picture, then back at the Kazama house.

Placing the photograph back in her pocket, the girl walked calmly inside the house, and shut the door behind her.

That was when Dylan blacked out.

**End Chapter Seven**

(Thank you for reading! It turns out that Kunimitsu's target is the Kazama family! But who in the Kazama family is she after? Asuka, or her father? I guess you'll just have to wait until next chapter to find out. And yes, I realize that it's been a long time since any kind of fight sequence happened, so next chapter will finally see that. I don't want to give away who is fighting who… *cough* *cough* Kunimitsu and Asuka *cough* *cough*, but I will promise you that it's gonna be awesome. I mean, for a video game franchise that literally revolves around hand to hand combat, this story has done very little in terms of fighting. So prepare to throw down!)


	8. Kiss

(Hello fans of Tekken! I know it's been a while since I last updated, so I apologize. I have, however, been working pretty damn hard on this chapter. Chapter eight focuses on the (intense) fight between two of my favorite Tekken characters, as well as a huge jump forward in the storyline. Finally, you will find out who Kunimitsu's target is, and if she even succeeds in capturing them at all. There will be violence, tension, stealth, jokes, sass, and violence. Did I say violence twice? Good. Oh, and by the way, towards the end of this chapter, there will be a HUGE plot twist involving Kunimitsu. Do you think that Kazuya, Jun, Lee, and Jane are the only people in this story who get romantic with other characters? Think again. Just wait until you see what happens…)

hhh- Looking back on what I wrote, I agree with you. Chapter one is a bit slow… but I'm glad you think that the rest of it is more interesting :) Thanks for reading!

kara- Hahaha three reviews? Looks like you enjoy being thorough! I tried to portray Kunimitsu as rude and cynical, which I'm glad to see you picked up on. Although she doesn't talk much, something just tells me she's a total rude badass. That's also some interesting things you said about the Tekken franchise. I agree that Kazuya and Jun are one of the best couples out there, and that it was disappointing to see Jun not make an appearance in any recent games (Other than TTT2). Also, thank you for reading and for reviewing! Three reviews are not a problem for me at all, so don't feel like you need to apologize either. :)

SecretylyInLoveWithYourFanfic- Thanks for reviewing! Haha and thank you for forgiving that short chapter. It really isn't my usual style, so this time around, I went back to the regular length. Actually, this chapter is pushing 9,000 words, which makes it my second longest chapter so far! Plenty of interesting things happen, so sit back and relax, reader, cause it's gonna be a long one ;) Also, thank you for appreciating Asukon's name! I probably spent 45 minutes scouring the internet for what his name was, but couldn't find it. And after those 45 frustrating minutes of searching, I decided "Screw it. I'm just adding '-on' to his name and calling it a day."

Annonimos- If you don't know what to expect, then I guess that means I'm doing a good job :P Kazuya and his shady deals are meant to be as mysterious as possible, so prepare to see more ominous and interesting developments this chapter too! I apologize for making such a short chapter last time, but I think this 9,000 monster of a chapter should help. Thank you so much for reading and thank you so much for reviewing!

**The Return**

**Chapter Eight**

Just then, the doorbell rang.

"Now? Who on earth visits at a time like this?" asked Asuka, showing her displeasure at the whole predicament.

Asukon glanced at the door, then back to Asuka's dress. "I don't have time to answer the door and clean this stain. We need to do it now." he said. Then, he suddenly had an idea. "Oh, Dylan, could you please answer the door for me? Just say "Kazama residence" and tell them to wait a few minutes until I get there, okay?"

"Sure thing Mr. K." Answered Dylan.

"Good." Said Asukon. "Now let's see if we can work out this stain…" with that, he led Asuka down the hall to the laundry room. Walking inside, he shut the door behind them.

Now Asukon and Asuka were alone in the laundry room. A large washer and drier were neatly placed against the wall, with stacks of clothes littering the floor.

"Dad, just give it to me straight, is this stain coming out?" Asked Asuka with a worried look on her face. "I was supposed to wear this on me and Dylan's movie date next week!"

Asukon grabbed a nearby bottle of some clear liquid and dripped it onto a plain white cloth. He glanced over at his daughter and shot her a questioning look. "Next week?" he asked while craftily avoiding the original question. "You think your relationship with this boy will last that long?"

"What do you mean by that." She said condescendingly as she placed her hands on her hips.

"I can tell from the way you act around him, Asuka. You don't like him at all." Questioned Asukon. Occasionally looking up at his daughter, the man continued to rub the stain.

Asuka gasped. "What are you talking about, of course I like him! I mean, he's great, isn't he? He's cute, and he's funny, and he's intelligent!"

Asukon looked straight up at Asuka and into her eyes with a questioning look on his face. Asuka got the message.

"Fine… maybe he's just cute…" She grumbled.

"Asuka," started Asukon in a very fatherly-like tone. "I know you better than you think. Sure, you might think this Dylan boy is cute, but there's more to relationships than just looks. You should know this by now."

Asuka frowned. "Yeah, I do know, but I'm just tired of always being so picky. How many times have I broken up with my boyfriends just because they aren't perfect? Lots of those boys were awesome guys, but for some reason, you always convince me to wait for the "perfect" one. How am I supposed to know when HE shows up?"

Asukon laughed. "Haha, oh, Asuka. You make it sound like it's some kind of a race. The perfect man is out there somewhere. Who cares if he's taking his time? Cause when he gets here, it'll all be worth it, I guarantee you that."

"How can you guarantee that?" she asked glumly.

Asukon paused his work and slowly took off his glasses. Folding them neatly and putting them into his pocket, he looked back up at his daughter. "I waited thirty nine years for your mother to come. Most of my friends already had families of their own by the time I was thirty. But that didn't stop me from waiting."

"Oh…" said Asuka. Surprised by her father's sudden mention of her now-deceased mother.

"I turned down many girls along the way. Too many to count. But it was all worth it in the end, because if I hadn't waited those thirty nine years, and if you mother hadn't waited those thirty six years, we never would have met. We would have ended up with other people. People we didn't truly love…"

Asuka was silent. Rarely had her father opened up this much in front of her.

"And worst of all, Asuka, had we never met, you mother would never have given birth to you." He said with a faint smile.

Asuka smiled and hugged her father. "Thank you, dad. I think I understand what you mean now. The father and daughter embraced each other sincerely. Truly, Asuka and her father were very close. Ever since Asuka's mother died when she was very young, he had been the only one around to care for her. As proof for how much she loved him, Asuka entered the fifth Tekken Tournament solely to get revenge on another fighter who injured her father during a rampage. When it came down to the wire, Asuka would do anything for the man who had cared for her so much.

Just then, the loving moment was dashed by Asukon.

"Also, I really, really, really don't want my grandson to be a little blond American boy without table manners."

Asuka cracked up laughing. "Dad!" She yelled as she let go of him and half-heartedly punched him in the shoulder. "You totally just ruined that father-daughter moment there! Come on!" She said kiddingly.

"Haha, I know dear, I know. But come on, do you have any idea how much rice this family eats? I feel like that wouldn't mesh well with this hypothetical Dylan Jr." he joked.

"DAD!"

"Okay! Okay! Message received!" Laughed Asukon. One of the biggest bonds he shared with his daughter was through humor. Although she sometimes liked to act like she was embarrassed by him, or didn't think his jokes were funny, deep down she really loved them.

"Cut it out with the baby jokes!" Said Asuka. "I'm only nineteen, I have a long way to go before that."

"Indeed you do, young lady." Said Asukon, who let a more stern, yet still hilarious expression return to his face.

Now that the bonding moment and joke session were out of the way, the Kazamas returned their attention to Asuka's dress.

"Is it coming out?" She asked.

"I'm afraid not…" said her father solemnly, like a man reading an obituary.

Asuka groaned.

"But it's not over yet!" Continued her father. "If I put the dress in the wash, and add a few of Grandma-Kazama's special cleaning ingredients, then we might be able to save it."

"YES!" Exclaimed Asuka.

Asukon stood up and put the cloth in a nearby basket. Turning to face the washing machine, he picked up a bottle of bleach and held it close to his face, trying to read the ingredients. "Okay, hopefully this will work. Asuka, please go change into something else, and bring the dress here when you're done. I'll throw these ingredients together, then check to see who's at the door in the meantime."

"Got it." Said Asuka as she walked to the door.

"I'm sure that whoever was at the door is having a great time with Dylan. Hahaha..."

Asuka giggled as she left, now simply amused by the antics of her soon-to-be ex-boyfriend.

She reached the door, opened it, and stepped into the hall. Checking quickly to make sure no one was around, she darted across the hall and into her own room. Turning on the lights, she started to look around the room for something to wear.

"Hm…" she mumbled to herself as she looked over her wardrobe. "No… no… no…. no…" The parade of "No"s continued on as she went from outfit to outfit, completely indecisive of what her choice should be. Finally, however, she was able to settle on a pair of black yoga pants and a frilly blue long-sleeved shirt.

"This will have to do…" she thought as she pulled the clothes out of her closet and threw them onto the bed.

Using her foot, she quickly shut the door to her bedroom and removed her dress. It came off smoothly, and fell to the floor when it was off. Next, Asuka picked up the yoga pants and slid into them with ease. They were a tight fit, but that was what she liked about them. Next she picked up the shirt and pulled it down over her head.

Once she was dressed up again, Asuka stepped in front of her full-size mirror and checked herself out. She looked cute with her tight pants and frilly shirt. In her opinion, the dress was better, but it wasn't very important to her in the end.

Asuka reached up and fixed her hair slightly, making sure no strands were sticking up and crushed down. Once she was satisfied with the change, she picked up the dress and headed for the door. Once she was in the hall, she looked down towards the dining room, expecting to see her father and Dylan. However, there was no one there. The house was silent.

"That's odd…" she muttered as she entered the laundry room. Asuka approached the washing machine, and saw that it was ready. The top was open, and a mixture of water and cleaning chemicals mixed around within. Tossing the dress inside, she shut the lid and pressed the button to start washing.

Finally she turned around and headed back into the hall. Looking briefly back and forth in a vain search for her father or date, she headed down towards the dining room.

As she walked, she called out to her father. "Dad? I put my dress in the machine, okay?"

Instantly Asuka noticed something was wrong. The room was empty. The door was shut tightly, but nobody appeared to be anywhere inside. Then, she noticed that a lone seat from the table was overturned and lying on the floor.

Asuka slowly walked over to the seat and stood it back up. "Umm… dad?" She called out timidly. "Dylan? Hello?"

No response.

Putting the chair back in its place, Asuka looked around for the cause of the fall. Nothing in else in the room was knocked over. She let go of it, and continued to walk alone in the room, searching for anyone.

Just then, Asuka felt something wet on her hand. She lifted her right arm up and looked at her hand in the light. Sure enough, there was some kind of a liquid on it.

About ten small spots of blood adorned her fingers.

At first, she didn't recognize what it was, but after looking at the blood on her hand for long enough, the image became clear.

"What the hell?!" She exclaimed.

Just then, another voice cut through the room. It was feminine, playful, devious, and dark.

"Whoops…" Said the voice. "I guess I missed a spot."

Asuka nearly jumped out of her shoes. Turning on her heels, she faced down the hall and towards the source of the voice. There, standing just behind the door to the laundry room, was her father.

"Dad?"

But upon closer examination, Asuka noticed that her father was not alone. Directly behind him, there stood a young woman, holding a knife and wearing a mask.

"Wha- who- what?" Stuttered Asuka in shock. She didn't know what to say.

"Yes, Asuka. Nice to meet you too…" Said the girl sarcastically.

Again Asuka was at a loss for words. She was busy trying to take in the bizarre image before her. The girl was wearing a tight black jumpsuit with a simple white mask that seemed to be shaped like a fox. It had small, dark markings on it, and the mask covered only the top half of her face, leaving her mouth exposed. The girl's lips were a bright red color, almost as if they had been adorned with lipstick.

The girl stood behind her father, with one arm reached around him and holding his shoulder tightly. Apparently her other hand was holding her fathers' arms, because Asuka could see they were twisted behind his back in a strange way. Asukon did not struggle against the woman, but instead stared blankly off into the distance. His mouth hung open in shock as well.

"Dad! What are you doing?! Who is this?!" Yelled Asuka, trying to draw her father's attention. But despite his daughter's screaming, Asukon remained stock still, staring straight ahead with his mouth open. Almost like a zombie.

Now Asuka's shock had turned to fear and anger. "Dad! Say something!" She yelled.

Asukon said nothing. He looked like he would have fallen over, had the girl not been holding him from behind.

"DAD! WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING!?" Screamed Asuka, who was determined not to let her fear get the best of her.

"Don't bother. He can't hear you." Said the girl with the mask. A faint smile crossed her lips as she spoke.

Asuka focused on the girl and directed whatever courage she had left into her words. "Why not!? What did you do to him?!" She yelled, keeping an eye her father's strange behavior.

"Are you sure you want to see?" Asked the fox girl.

"Yes!" Demanded Asuka. "Tell me right now what this is all about! You have no right to be here and hold my father like that!"

The girl nodded slowly, then let go of Asukon.

She held her arms high up in the air, in the same pose that criminals make when they are asked by the police to put their hands up. As she opened her palms, it became clear that the girl wasn't holding anything anymore.

Now without any support, Asukon started to lean forward. Slowly, like a drunken man slipping down a flight of steps, he blankly stared into the distance as he fell. He fell forward, away from the fox girl and towards Asuka. There was a moment of silence as his body fell through the air, then a loud crash as it connected with the ground. Immediately, Asuka noticed something was wrong with her father's back.

A large knife, covered in blood, protruded out form his shoulder blades.

Asuka screamed. The sight of her father, stabbed in the back, was enough to set her fears off the deep end. At once, a frenzy of emotions and thoughts ricocheted through her mind. At first she was unable to comprehend what she was seeing, but slowly it sunk in.

Immediately she thought her father was dead. But before the implications of this could sink in, the girl with the mask interrupted her.

"Oww… right? That looks like it hurts." She said calmly, still with her hands in the air.

Asuka looked up from her father's body for the first time. She zeroed in on the girl with the fox mask, and narrowed her eyes as she listened.

"The blade has been tipped with a chemical agent that is similar in toxicity to that of horse tranquilizer." She continued. "Judging from the dose I just gave him, your father will probably be out cold for the next fourteen hours at least… if he ever wakes up at all, that is."

Asuka was not sure what to make of this news. Part of her was still scared at the sight of her father's injury, but another part of her was growing stronger within; her anger.

Just as he father had taught her from years of training at the dojo, Asuka tried to analyze the situation logically. She knew that emotions would only cloud her mind, but it was impossible for her to resist them.

If Asuka Kazama was known for any one thing throughout the Tekken world, it was her temper. Most commonly this temper exploded when she came within contact of her rival; Lili Rochefort. However it also came out in times of extreme stress or emergency, as this was. Simply the sight of her father's body would be enough to make her furious, but Asuka knew she had to try to resist nonetheless.

Apparently sensing this internal struggle, the girl with the mask started to subtly tease her.

"You're probably pretty confused right now, ain't that right kiddo?" She said with a smile. Slowly, she lowered her hands and crossed them over her chest. Next she adjusted her position and shifted her weight to the side, leaning mostly on one hip.

Asuka looked up at the girl. "Shut up! I want you to tell me who you are, what you came here for, and what you think you're going to do to my father!" She demanded.

The fox girl looked a little taken aback. "Oh my. I didn't know you were so feisty…" She said slowly. Almost… seductively.

Asuka was not fazed by the girl's behavior, but instead pressed on with her questioning. "Tell me now!" She yelled.

The girl brought her hands down and held them out in front of her, openly. "Okay, okay… there's no need to get all worked up, girlie. I'll talk." She said.

Asuka clenched her fists and nodded slowly. Almost certain that the girl was going to just say more strange and mocking things, Asuka prepared to launch her attack. But surprisingly, the fox girl did not.

"I am a private military contractor, espionage consultant, and reacquisition consultant. Not for hire at the moment." She said proudly. "I am currently on an assignment that requires my unannounced visiting of this house. I hope you don't mind."

"So you're an assassin." Finished Asuka. "And a dirty thief."

The girl frowned. "When you put it like that, it sounds so boring…" She said, completely off topic.

"Hey!" Yelled Asuka, who was beginning to get annoyed by the girl's strange, calm behavior. "Tell me your name!"

"Oh, terribly sorry." Said Kunimitsu. She shook her head then faced Asuka again. "Where was I? Oh yes, my name is Kunimitsu, and I'm a part-time assassin, part-time dirty thief." She smiled at Asuka, who suddenly looked surprised.

"Kunimitsu?" she restated in confusion. "That's your name?"

Kunimitsu frowned. "What?" she asked. "Do you think it sounds funny?"

"That name is familiar." Asuka said slowly, ignoring Kunimitsu's superficial question. "I think I have heard it before."

"You must be talking about the tournaments." Said Kunimitsu with a grin.

"I knew it!" Exclaimed Asuka. "You were in the Tekken tournaments. The first or second ones!"

"Hahaha," laughed the girl. "Yeah right. I was in a tournament that occurred nearly thirty years ago. How old do you think I am? Fifty? Do I look fifty to you?" She asked.

Asuka's theory came crumbling down. "You look like you're only twenty…"

"Bingo!" Said Kunimitsu.

"How did you compete in those tournaments if you weren't even alive then?" Asked Asuka, surprised that she was having a real conversation with the girl that had practically just murdered her father.

"Easy." She clarified. "During the first two tournaments, my mother had been the one competing."

The whole situation became clearer to Asuka now. _This Kunimitsu is the daughter of the first Kunimitsu, who participated in the first two Tekken Tournaments! That would explain how she looks like she's my age…_

"But those days are over." Continued Kunimitsu. "My mother was a good woman, but she is gone now, and it is my duty to carry on the mantle. It is my duty to finish what she could not…"

"And what would that be?" Asked Asuka, breaking the girl's train of thought.

Kunimitsu quickly shook her head and focused back on the target before her."Nevermind."

Asuka and Kunimitsu stared at each other silently. Neither one of them wanted to make the first move.

"So, are you going to leave peacefully, or do I have to beat you into the ground first?" Asked Asuka defiantly. Her anger had been building the whole time.

Kunimitsu smiled deviously, almost as if she was enjoying hearing Asuka threaten her. "Oh, I love the feisty ones. You're so much more fun…" She explained.

"Try me." Shot back Asuka.

"Hah, I would love to." Finished Kunimitsu.

Both girls raised their fists in unison.

Asuka opened her palms and held them out in front of her, fingers facing up. She placed her feet about a shoulder's width apart, and bent slightly at the knee. This was the stance that she had fought in all her life, and it was the stance her father taught her.

Kunimitsu stood with one hand open and the other closed. Her front hand was the open one, facing her opponent almost as of ready to give a high-five. The other hand seemed to be just a simple fist, but Asuka was able to deduce that it was usually used to hold her knife. Kunimitsu's stance was similar to Asuka's, in that her feet were roughly a shoulder's width apart and had her feet pointed forward.

They continued to silently observe each other until finally Kunimitsu broke the silence. She smiled deviously as she prepared what she had to say.

"You father… put up a weak excuse for a fight."

Asuka lost it.

Hearing this rude, obnoxious girl insult her father was just the straw that broke the camel's back. Clenching her fists even tighter now, Asuka launched into her attack.

Despite knowing that the insult was just an attempt to get her all riled up, she lunged forward and thrust towards the girl's face with an outstretched fist.

Kunimitsu sidestepped to the right and dodged easily. Asuka followed up by twisting her body and swinging her fist sideways like a mace. This too, Kunimitsu dodged. Next Asuka jabbed with her other hand, intending to hit Kunimitsu in the face again.

Ducking down low, the fox girl avoided the jab with ease and fired back an attack of her own. She sprang up into the air and grabbed Asuka's outstretched arm, clamping on to it like a pull-up bar. Then, spinning around, Kunimitsu pulled on Asuka's arm and threw her through the air. Due to the speed of the throw and Kunimitsu's relatively small size and power, the throw was not very powerful.

It was, however, enough to send Asuka spinning backwards into the wall. She crashed into the wall with a thud, and quickly tried to re-establish her stance. Kunimitsu, however, was not going to give her the opportunity. The girl lunged at Asuka with her shoulder in front, like a linebacker would tackle the quarterback in a game of professional football.

The tackle made contact before Asuka could regain her stance, and thus slammed her against the wall again. This time, the force was much more powerful, and Asuka's head was whipped back with whiplash.

"AH!" She yelled as the back of her head hit the hard wall behind her. A loud crack could be heard, which was the plywood wall breaking. It did not, however, entirely crumble away.

Kunimitsu quickly let go of Asuka, and rolled backwards. Standing back up, she resumed her fighting stance and paused for a moment to laugh. "Hahaha, come on girl! What's the matter? I should be no problem for an experienced Tekken fighter like you!"

Asuka shook her head and breathed heavily once. Looking back at her target, Asuka resumed her fighting stance and approached Kunimitsu slowly.

"Ah, so you're going to be a little more cautious this time? Excellent. Show me what you've got." Taunted Kunimitsu with a smile.

Asuka ducked low and quickly spun her body around while sticking her foot out. This pinwheel kick was intended to hit Kunimitsu and sweep her leg out from under her. However Kunimitsu was able to predict the move, and hopped lightly over the foot. Asuka followed up by launching an uppercut at the girl, which was also dodged.

Returning fire for the second time, Kunimitsu leapt forward and jammed her knee into Asuka. The force from the hit made Asuka rise up into the air, which was exactly what Kunimitsu had been hoping for. With another devious smile, Kunimitsu landed lightly on the ground, and reached up into the air. Her hands made contact with Asuka's left ankle, which she firmly wrapped her hands around.

Rotating her body again, Kunimitsu heaved with all her might and spun Asuka around in the air. Yelling in shock was all that Asuka could do while her whole body was swung through the air. Finally, after one full rotation. Kunimitsu let go of Asuka and sent her flying. Asuka soared through the air, and collided with a wall on the far side of the room. This time, the wall was not strong enough to hold out, and completely shattered.

Leaving a huge, gaping hole in the wall, Asuka tumbled through the plywood and into the room behind her. It was her room. Once she had settled, Asuka stood back up and staggered through the hole in the wall.

Waiting for her on the other side was a very cocky Kunimitsu. "I call that one the merry-go-round... of death." She said casually. "You know, nothing is cool until you add 'of death' to the end of it."

Asuka coughed violently. Shaking the pain off, she stepped back into the dining room and stood across from Kunimitsu. "Well…" She said quietly and between breaths. "That doesn't seem like a very good name, does it? After all, I'm not dead, right?"

Kunimitsu's victorious smirk turned to a disappointed scowl. "Oh, so NOW you've finally decided to exhibit a little personality?" She questioned.

"Don't expect a habit out of it." Responded Asuka. "I intend to make this a short fight."

"Hmm…. Isn't that what you said when this little pow-wow started?"

Asuka nodded slowly. "But this time, I mean it." She said. "Hit me."

Kunimitsu looked surprised. "Hit you? You want me to hit you?"

Asuka smiled and looked up at Kunimitsu as she straightened out her posture. "Sorry… did I stutter?"

Kunimitsu was fuming. She raised one hand in the air and pointed it directly at Asuka. "Listen here, you little punk. There's only enough room for one smart-ass in this story! Believe me when I tell you that I fully intend to hold that title! Not you!"

"Oh please." Mocked Asuka, now seemingly in control of the psychological mind games being played between the two girls. "Don't embarrass yourself, kitty."

"Kitty?!" Screamed Kunimitsu. Apparently, Asuka had struck a nerve. "IT'S A FOX! NOT A DAMN CAT!"

Asuka, while at first being somewhat taken aback, now smiled at her opponent's anger. "I'm sorry. I didn't know you were so sensitive, miss hairball."

Kunimitsu took a threatening step forward. "You bitch!" She yelled at Asuka. "This mask is a precious and honorable family heirloom associated with the spirit of the eternal fox! If you dare to insult me by calling me a cat one more time, I'll kill you!"

The room was silent. Both girls looked each other straight in the eyes. Kunimitsu, full of sudden rage and anger, waited tensely as she watched Asuka before her. Not sure if Asuka had the guts to say "cat" again, Kunimitsu waited patiently to strike.

Asuka smirked playfully.

"Meow…" She said.

"GYAAAHHHHH!" Screamed Kunimitsu.

She jumped into the air and soared straight at Asuka. Landing just in front of her, Kunimitsu launched into a flurry of punches and kicks.

"Oh god!" exclaimed Asuka, who clearly was not expecting Kunimitsu's response to be this violent.

Kunimitsu jabbed at Asuka's face, which was blocked. After jabbing again and being blocked again, she spun to the right and tried to jam her elbow into Asuka's stomach. Dodging his, Asuka performed a high jump kick straight into the air. Kunimitsu sidestepped, and prepared to punish the defenseless Asuka.

However, just as she was about to roundhouse kick Asuka out of the air, her target spun and kicked Kunimitsu in the shoulder.

WHAM!

Kunimitsu was knocked back several steps. Regaining her balance, she looked to see where Asuka went. She was greeted by the sight of Asuka charging forward and thrusting her elbow up. The hit connected, and Kunimitsu flew into the air. Asuka finished the chain by slamming into the airborne Kunimitsu, and sending her crashing to the ground.

Next, Asuka raised her foot into the air and prepared to stomp down on the defenseless girl before her. But just as her foot came down, Kunimitsu rolled out of the way. Then, contorting her body like a gymnast, Kunimitsu rotated her hips and swung her legs in a wide circle twice. The first swing missed, but the second one managed to clip Asuka in the shin.

Momentarily caught off balance from the hit, Asuka stepped backwards for support. Kunimitsu took advantage of Asuka's step by performing a back handspring into the air, from the ground. Landing just next to Asuka, Kunimitsu ducked and punched Asuka hard in the side of the ribs.

Asuka felt Kunimitsu's jab connect, then instinctively spun around and raised her guard. Kunimitsu's next jab was blocked easily, allowing Asuka to leap forward and grab Kunimitsu. Placing both hands on Kunimitsu's shoulders, Asuka spun her around and grabbed her from behind. Then, with Kunimitsu's back now unwillingly turned to her, Asuka kneed her in the spine.

"AHH!" she exclaimed as the knee made contact. Kunimitsu started to buckle forward, and fell slowly to the ground.

Asuka capitalized by grabbing a nearby chair, picking it up into the air, and smashing it against the defenseless Kunimitsu's back. The chair broke into a million pieces as it smashed into the girl, causing massive damage. Kunimitsu fell all the way forward, and collapsed onto the ground.

"Hah!" exclaimed the victorious Asuka. "That chair is probably coming out of my allowance, but it was worth it to see you squirm!"

Kunimitsu desperately tried to stand back up. However she collapsed onto the ground, and rolled over onto her back. Looking up at the girl before her, Kunimitsu scowled angrily. "Well played, girl. You used emotions to cloud my judgment. That's pretty *COUGH* crafty of you…"

Asuka smiled. "Yeah, leave it to me. Now, while were having so much fun, let's get some answers out of you..."

"What would that be?" Asked Kunimitsu as she looked up at Asuka, completely defenseless and exposed.

"Why don't we find out what's under that mask of yours?" Declared Asuka and she knelt down to get a better look at the mask.

Kunimitsu laughed once. "Ha. You really wanna go there?" She asked.

"Yeah. I won, so I get the spoils. That means I'll be keeping this little kitty mask."

Kunimitsu turned deadly serious. "You're stupider than I thought. You have defeated me, and still you push your luck. Keep infuriating me and trying to touch my mask, and I will return with a vengeance. Anger might be a negative emotion, but it can easily empower your opponents in times of trial."

"So what are you trying to say?" Asked Asuka.

"What I'm *COUGH* trying to say, is…" warned Kunimitsu. "If you lay one finger on my mask, I swear to god I will knock you out."

Asuka was silent. Hearing Kunimitsu's decree simply made the mask seem like so much more of a worthy prize.

"I'm warning you…" repeated Kunimitsu.

Asuka, after considering the girl's warning, decided to ignore it. "Yeah, right." She said as she reached for the mask. "You're exhausted. You can't do a thing to me."

Asuka's index finger touched the tip of the fox' nose on Kunimitsu's mask.

Like a coiled rattlesnake, Kunimitsu sprang up and grabbed Asuka around the throat.

"AKK!" Was all she should say.

Thrusting herself to a standing position, Kunimitsu dragged Asuka to her feet and tightened her hold on the girl's neck.

"You bitch…." She muttered. "I warned you…"

Now fully standing, Kunimitsu forced Asuka to stand. Using both hands, she pushed and slammed Asuka into the wooden table nearby. Asuka felt more whiplash as her head was crushed against the hard tabletop. But that was only the beginning, because, using all her strength, Kunimitsu began slamming Asuka's head down onto the tabletop again and again.

Immense pain and a terrible headache was all that Asuka could comprehend as her head was repeatedly slammed. In addition to that, she could not breathe because of Kunimitsu's hands around her neck. Finally, after several hard slams. Kunimitsu let go of Asuka's neck. Instinctively, Asuka slumped to the ground and rubbed her now freed neck with both hands.

Kunimitsu stood over her breathing heavily. She rubbed the spot on her shoulder where she had just been hit by a wooden chair. Clearly it was more of a serious injury that she thought.

Asuka, while trying to recover from her concussion, stood back up and faced Kunimitsu. The two girls stared at each other, both breathing very loudly and harshly. The fight had taken a physical toll that neither of them had been prepared for.

Finally, Kunimitsu spoke. "I could have finished you off…" she said. "But *COUGH* It… it wouldn't have been fair. I might be an assassin and a dirty thief, but I never kill unless my victim has a chance to kill me too."

Asuka was silent. If she could talk, she would have said something about how she agreed with that philosophy. However, the most she could do was nod her head from the severe pain and headaches she was experiencing.

Kunimitsu looked around her and assessed the damaged house. Lamps, tables, chairs, and other furniture littered the once-pristine floors. It looked like a tornado had been through the house.

"Let's finish this…" she said between breaths. "One on one, no cheating, no tricks. Just honest… honest hand to hand combat."

Asuka nodded again. Clearly they were getting nowhere by throwing each other around. A solid martial arts fight would decide it all. Both girls raised their arms into fighting stances, and prepared for the final battle.

In tune, they both stepped forward, then began exchanging blows. Kunimitsu opened up by swiping at Asuka, then attempting to knee her in the gut. Asuka dodged the swipe, then lowered her hands and blocked the knee. In response, she grabbed Kunimitsu's knee and tried to push it down, bringing Kunimitsu with it. However Kunimitsu had anticipated the move, and countered by planting her foot firmly on the ground.

Then, pushing up with all her might, Kunimitsu sprang her other leg into the air, and kneed Asuka in the chin. The hit sent Asuka reeling, causing her to let go of Kunimitsu's leg. Next, the fox girl followed up by dashing forward and jabbing with her left fist. The hit made contact, and she continued the combo by spinning around once, and smacking Asuka high up on her body. Finally, to close out the set Kunimitsu leapt into the air and attempted to land directly on top of Asuka.

Asuka sidestepped, and managed to avoid the missile that was Kunimitsu. Then, taking advantage of her opponent's pause, Asuka jumped forward and punched Kunimitsu across the face. She went reeling, trying to regain her footing. Asuka then took another step forward and punched Kunimitsu again. This hit was not as hard, which allowed Kunimitsu to recover and throw up her arms in a blocking position just before Asuka could land the third and final punch.

With Asuka's combo done, both girls tried to be the ones who fired the next shot. Kunimitsu ducked down low and tried to uppercut, while Asuka sidestepped and attempted a high sweep. Their fists came within inches of each other, but ended up harmlessly missing. Then, while still down on the ground, Kunimitsu put all her weight on one foot, and spun quickly, attempting to kick Asuka's feet out from under her. Asuka saw this move coming, however, and hopped backwards, out of the way.

It looked like Asuka was going to get away fine, until she felt something hard hit her in the back. Apparently she had hopped backwards too far, and hit her hips against the wooden table. This minor pause in combat was all Kunimitsu needed as she jumped back into a standing position and kicked Asuka in the side of her chest extremely hard.

Asuka almost buckled under the force of the hit, but managed to remain standing. Thus, when the next kick came, which surely would have knocked her out, she was ready. Kunimitsu thrust her leg forward, apparently trying to pierce Asuka in the stomach. However Asuka remained clam, and used one of her many parrying moves.

Placing one hand on the top of Kunimitsu's ankle and the other hand on the bottom on her thigh, Asuka grabbed her opponent and pulled forward with all her might. Carried by momentum, Kunimitsu fell forward, and right into her opponent. Asuka had planned this part of the move too, and made Kunimitsu fall directly onto her outstretched elbow. The elbow connected with Kunimitsu's stomach, and knocked the air completely out of her lungs.

"OOH!" Huffed Kunimitsu as she felt Asuka's elbow crash into her gut. Asuka smiled in delight. Finally, one of her moves had worked just like it was supposed to.

Next she raised her free hand high up into the air, and prepared to karate chop Kunimitsu in the back of the head. Such a hit would surely end the fight, so Asuka was well aware of the importance behind her attack.

Then, just as her hand fell, Asuka saw her opponent perform a strange maneuver. Contorting her body like a circus gymnast, Kunimitsu grabbed Asuka's hand that previous had been holding her thigh, and gripped it tight.

"What are you doing?" Asked Asuka in shock as she watched the girl perform her move.

Not pausing to respond, Kunimitsu used her free foot, the one that was not being held, to hop into the air. Now fully airborne, and entirely horizontal to the ground, Kunimitsu spun her entire body in a tight circle, and slammed the back of her heel into Asuka's cheek.

WHAM! The hit sent Asuka sprawling across the room.

And while it was a brilliantly executed gymnastic attack, the absence of Asuka's grip now meant that Kunimitsu was simply hanging in open air with no support. So, as gravity often does, it forced Kunimitsu's body to fall to the ground.

WHAM! The landing sent spears of pain through Kunimitsu's body.

Both girls lay on the ground motionlessly. Their last attacks had been their very best, and alternately their most tiring. There, surrounded by the smashed debris of Asuka's dining room, they breathed and tried to regain their senses.

After what seemed like an eternity of silence, Kunimitsu was the first to rise. Staggering to her knees, the foxy assassin looked around the room in search of her opponent. Asuka lay several yards away in a pile of broken wood and cheap takeout food. Apparently she had landed hard on the tabletop.

"God…" Breathed Kunimitsu, still in shock over the last few moments of her fight. "That was hot..."

Asuka stirred slightly, rolling over onto her back and looking up at the ceiling. Although her eyes were open, Kunimitsu could tell that it was going to be a while before she was back in fighting condition. That collision looked serious.

Struggling to sit up, Kunimitsu brushed herself off and readjusted her mask, which had become slightly dislodged during the fight. As she did this, Asuka watched helplessly.

"Get over here…" She groaned. "I'm not done with you…yet…"

Kunimitsu would have laughed insultingly, had she not been so exhausted. "Give it a rest, girl." She said. "I think it's safe to say we just beat the shit out of each other…"

Asuka said nothing, but tried to pull herself up to a sitting position. As she tried and failed, Kunimitsu attempted to rise, and succeeded.

Kunimitsu limped across the room, and knelt down next to Asukon Kazama. Placing one hand on his shoulder and the other hand on the handle of her kunai, Kunimitsu pulled the knife slowly out of his bloodied back.

"Hey!" Shouted Asuka weakly. "Stay *cough!* away from my father!"

Kunimitsu ignored the weak protests of her fallen opponent, and proceed to wipe the blood off of her knife. Now that it was clean, she pulled out another small rag with a tiny bit of green liquid on it. Kunimitsu wiped the cloth all over the knife, then threw the rag to the ground.

Asuka eyed the girl cautiously. She wasn't aware that the green liquid was actually the chemical compound with anesthetic properties similar to what is found in horse tranquilizer.

Once the knife was once again tipped with more tranquilizer, Kunimitsu stood up and walked slowly over to Asuka's unmoving body, all while playfully twirling her knife between her fingers. Once she had arrived at Asuka, Kunimitsu knelt down next to the girl, and gave her a big, tired smile.

"That was fun, wasn't it?" She asked playfully.

Asuka coughed hard. "*cough!* *cough!* You shouldn't have won." She said.

Kunimitsu frowned slightly. "Come on. Don't be a sore loser. You're too good for that." She pleaded.

Asuka said nothing. Desperately she tried to stand up or strike the girl kneeling over her, but every inch of Asuka's body was dead tired and in tons of pain.

Kunimitsu raised the knife in the air, and let it hang precariously over Asuka's neck.

Asuka's blood went cold at the thought of her impending murder. "You wouldn't dare…" she whispered in fright.

Kunimitsu smiled, and then moved the knife away from Asuka's neck. "Of course I wouldn't." She said. "You're too damn gorgeous to kill…"

Asuka looked up at Kunimitsu in surprise. "What did you say?" she asked confusedly.

"You heard me." Replied Kunimitsu, who turned to look directly into Asuka's eyes.

Asuka was silent again. Now, on top of tired, angry, painful, and scared, the fox girl was also starting to make her feel awkward.

Then, Kunimitsu did the strangest thing. She held the knife directly in front of her mouth, and stuck out her tongue.

Then, using the side of her tongue, Kunimitsu licked all the way down the entire flat side of the knife.

Most of the horse tranquilizer now adorned her tongue.

"What the hell…?" asked Asuka, who foolishly thought that her night could not get any weirder.

Kunimitsu slowly licked her lips, and smiled. Now, the tranquilizer was spread out evenly across her lips.

"Before I came here…" she said. "I ingested a counter-agent. In other words, I took the antidote."

Asuka squinted suspiciously at Kunimitsu. So clearly she was immune to the agent. That would explain a lot. But it still didn't explain WHY she just licked it all onto her lips.

Kunimitsu glanced from side to side, her long, red ponytails swaying as she turned. Then, looking back down at the captive Asuka, she smiled endearingly. "It's time for you to go to sleep, girl." She said slowly.

Then, in the most sudden turn of events ever recorded, Kunimitsu leaned in, and kissed Asuka on the lips.

"MFTT!" Was all Asuka could say as the fox girl pressed her bright red lips against her own.

Finally, after nearly three full seconds of a single, passionate kiss, Kunimitsu pulled back.

Asuka was in shock. She couldn't even think of what to say.

Kunimitsu leaned her head back, and stared straight at the ceiling. "Wow…" she said. "You're good."

Asuka lost it. "Wha- what the hell is wrong with you?!" She stuttered.

Kunimitsu looked back down from the ceiling, directly at Asuka. She brushed a strand of hair out of her face, then slowly started to stand back up.

Once she was standing erect, Kunimitsu turned away from Asuka and walked in the opposite direction. "I call that one… the kiss of death." She said. Then, pausing slightly again, she added; "Or rather, the kiss of tranquilization."

Asuka suddenly realized what had happened. Kunimitsu, who had licked the tranquilizer, then spread it all over her lips, had just kissed Asuka, and spread it to her own lips. While Kunimitsu was immune thanks to her antidote, Asuka had no such benefit. In a few moments, she would be out cold.

"You!- You!-You!" She stuttered again, completely shell-shocked by the events that had just unfolded.

Kunimitsu glanced over at Asukon, then back at his daughter. "I'm sorry…" she said. "But I'll need to take your father now." And with that, she walked sleekly over to Asukon, and bent down to grab his body.

Asuka glared at the girl and quickly tried to stand up, however, she was already starting to feel a bit woozy. "Don't you… don't you…. Don't you dare lay a finger on him!" She mumbled as loudly as she could.

As if in response, Kunimitsu lightly placed her index finger onto Asukon's forehead.

Then Asuka watched helplessly as the fox girl picked up her father's body and heaved him up to a standing position. Asukon hung limply, as if he was dead. Kunimitsu wrapped one of his arms around her shoulder, then let the rest of his body be supported by the other half of her body.

The duo turned to face the door, and slowly started heading in that direction. Just like how someone would support a drunken friend, Kunimitsu lead Asukon as she dragged and pulled him across the ground.

Again, Asuka tried vainly to resist. "Hey!" She tried to yell. Unfortunately, her vocal chords were starting to go numb. "Get back here…"

Kunimitsu and Asukon were now at the door. Kicking the door open with one foot, Kunimitsu held it open and guided Asukon halfway through. Then, just as they were about to exit Asuka's sight, Kunimitsu turned her head around and addressed the girl.

"I know you have a boyfriend…" she said. "But after seeing how horribly that punk kid was acting tonight, I would personally suggest you re-examine your sexual preferences." She said with a flirtatious smile.

Asuka listened with her jaw dropped. She couldn't believe she was getting dating advice from her father's assailant and kidnapper.

But still, Kunimitsu was not done talking. "So do me a favor, okay?" She asked endearingly.

Asuka tried to protest, but found that the tranquilizer had neutralized her voice.

"If you ever decide that you've had enough of dealing with these stupid boys all the time, and you want to give us girls a chance… call me."

And although Asuka's vision was starting to get blurry, she could swear that Kunimitsu winked.

With that, Kunimitsu turned, led Asukon down the steps, and kicked shut the door behind her.

The last thing Asuka saw before blacking out was the image of her front door being slammed before her very eyes.

…

…

…

(Two hours later)

(Three hundred miles away.)

…

…

…

The phone rang.

Its dull tone echoed twice throughout the room, until a large, masculine hand reached down and picked up the receiver. Bringing the receiver up to his ear, the man listened patiently for the person on the other end of the line to begin talking.

After a moment of silence that other person spoke.

"It's me." Said a young, feminine voice.

"So?" Replied the man.

"I have your target in tow. We're en route right now."

"How long."

"Three more hours minimum. Progress is slow and cautionary. For obvious reasons…"

"How did the operation go."

"Smoothly."

"Was the girl there."

"Indeed she was."

"And…"

"I admit. It was close. But obviously due to the fact that I'm calling you right now, she did not win."

The man was silent. If he was impressed, he was not showing it.

Picking up on her partner's silence, the girl continued speaking.

"You gave me one week to accomplish my task."

"And..."

"I did it in five days."

The man was silent.

"I want a bonus."

The man was silent still. This time, instead of stepping in and continuing her speech, the girl waited patiently for him to respond. Finally, he did;

"Excuse me?" He asked confrontationally.

"I said I wanted a bonus for completing the task two days early."

The man was silent. Again, the girl chose to wait.

"Do not test me." He warned.

This time, the girl was silent.

"Perhaps we can talk about payment once you have actually completed your task. Until the target is delivered to me, I am simply considering your mission a failure. It's up to you to prove me wrong. Understand?"

"Yes." Said the girl sadly.

With that, the man put down the phone back onto its place.

Leaning back in his chair, Kazuya Mishima sighed and crossed his hands over his lap. Folding one leg over the other, he spun around and faced away from his desk, off into the glow of the city below.

After briefly considering his next move, he stood up and walked over to the window. Placing both hands in his pockets, Kazuya looked out and thought about what was about to conspire. If everything went according to plan, Asukon would be at the tower by tomorrow morning, and he would be halfway to achieving his goal.

"All I have to worry about now…" He muttered.

"…is _her_."

**End Chapter Eight**

(Thanks for reading! I really liked to write this chapter, and again, I apologize for putting it out so late. Tell me what you think about it in the reviews section, and I'll totally respond to your review next chapter! Turns out that Asukon was Kunimitsu's target, which serves to answer the question that's been on everyone's (including my own) mind recently. However, this also opens up a new question; WHAT does Kazuya want with Asuka's father? What could he possibly know or have in his possession that Kazuya wants so badly? Also, in what I hoped to be a major WTF moment, Kunimitsu turned out to be lesbian! I decided to write it that way because I spent hours trying to think of a good male match for Kunimitsu, but couldn't. After failing to find a good guy for Kunimitsu to get involved with, I realized what her personality truly shows about her; she's not into men at all. If you think about the way she acts throughout the games, and her background as well, it really makes sense. But that's just my own personal perspective. If you disagree with me, and think that you know the perfect guy for Kunimitsu, argue your case in the reviews section! I'd love to see what your own personal opinion is. Anyway, thank you again for reading, and please review!)


	9. Lunar

(Hello fans of Tekken! What's up? Nothing much? Cool, because you're in luck. Something is very UP with me. Chapter nine of The Return, that is. It's finally UP! This time around, you'll get to see more of Kazuya, acting like his old self, as well the whole cast, including Lee, Jane, Reike, Kunimitsu, and more. Also, did I mention that JUN KAZAMA will be coming back this chapter? Well she is. So get ready for the drama and the romantic stand-offs! Now, before the story starts, I would just like to take a quick second to discuss canon. As many of you are aware, I am trying to stay as much in sync with official Tekken canon as possible throughout my story. By "canon" I mean the Tekken games; Tekken One, Two, Three, Four, Five, and Six. I am also using some elements of TTT2, but just a few minor things. When reading this story, it is important to remember that the official six Tekken games are the true canon I follow. This means that all of the following forms of Tekken media are NOT being used in my canon; TTT1, Tekken: Blood Vengeance, The 2010 Tekken live action film, and Tekken: The Motion Picture. Technically, I did borrow the idea of Kazuya's mother's locket necklace from Tekken: The Motion Picture, but other than that, this animated movie is not included in my canon. Now, do not get me wrong. Tekken: The Motion Picture is (in my opinion) one of the greatest animated films ever made. I absolutely love that movie, and highly recommend it to anyone who has not seen it before. This intro is turning out to be a little too long, so I'm just going to cut it off here and get on with the story. Thanks for reading!)

Thomas N. Sears- Thank you for reading and for reviewing! I really want to illustrate Kazuya like as much of a stern and dark character as possible. I hope you continue past chapter two :).

Nina Kazama- I agree, last chapter was supposed to be chock full of surprises and humor. I'm especially grateful that somebody thought Asuka's "meow" was funny. Thank you so much for reviewing, and keep up the good work on your other stories Nina!

Kara- Hahaha, Yep, Kunimitsu being a lesbian kind of took me by surprise too. I had no intention of making her like that when I started the story, but when I reached the middle of that chapter, it just kind of came to me. I guess, to me, it just seemed to fit with her personality. Thanks for reading and for reviewing!

Annonimos- That's some interesting thoughts! You might be closer to figuring out my plans than you think… Hahaha but I'm not making any promises. This story seems to take a direction of its own as I write it, meaning I have only a vague idea of how I want each next chapter to go. But thank you so much for being such a loyal reader and reviewer! It means a lot to me, really :)

moneygreen932- Damn. I can tell just from the depth of your reviews that you would be an interesting person to have a discussion with :) Everything you said about Kazuya and Jun's conflicting personalities is spot-on with what I was trying to illustrate, so thank you for picking up on it! Also, your analysis of Angel makes a lot of sense. I had originally intended to leave her out of the story from now on, but after reading what you had to say, I might be rethinking that decision… Thank you for reviewing!

**The Return**

**Chapter Nine**

_Five…_

_Four…_

_Three…_

_Two…_

_One…_

_Here we go…_

*RING! RING!*

Jane reached forward and picked up the phone receiver with one hand. Bringing it up to her ear, she put on a big smile and answered the man on the other end.

"Good morning Mr. Mishima!" She said cheerily.

"Jane…" Replied the stern voice of Kazuya Mishima.

"Yes?" She answered robotically.

"My schedule." Said Kazuya as he took a sip of his tea.

Jane quickly tucked the phone receiver behind her ear and opened a large binder that lay on her desk. Currently it was morning, at the exact time Kazuya called every day. This same routine, down to the second, had been Jane and Kazuya's daily order of operations for years.

At exactly 9:30, Kazuya's alarm would ring. Then, after getting out of bed and changing into his black and purple business outfit, he would enter the office. At precisely 9:47 every morning, he would press a small brown button on his desk's control panel, and a servant would enter the room, carrying with her a tray with a single cup of tea on it. After tasting the tea and watching the servant leave, Kazuya would reach back down to the control panel and press another button at exactly 9:49. This button would call Jane, his secretary. The phone would ring exactly two times before she picked up, at which point Jane would wish him a good morning, which meant they were right on track for her to say, at exactly 9:50 AM;

"Right now it is 9:50 AM on the dot. Your breakfast has already arrived I presume?" She asked.

Kazuya said nothing. Just like he always did.

"Very well." Said Jane, who knew Kazuya's silence to be an affirmative. Then, just when she was about to begin explaining Kazuya's daily schedule, Jane broke tradition and said something else. "Um, Mr. Mishima, before I begin your schedule, there is a matter that requires your attention immediately."

If Kazuya was surprised by this change of pace, he did not show it. Kazuya simply paused on the other end of the line, probably to take a sip of tea, then spoke. "What." He said flatly.

Jane placed her hand on the mouse for the desktop computer she was sitting on, and scrolled down to some open tabs on the bottom of the screen. "Well, sir, it would appear that an unmarked vehicle entered our garage last night at 3:13 AM." She said.

"And…" Said Kazuya, sounding bored.

"The vehicle was not scheduled to arrive. Our computers show no information on the vehicle as well. it is a relatively nondescript black car that was being driven by a strange woman. She had a man with her who appeared to not be moving, or conscious at all for that matter."

"And…" Said Kazuya, who was already getting a good idea of who this woman was.

"She didn't have any identification or licensing anywhere, and our records failed to show any mention of her existence whatsoever. Reike went down to investigate, and he arrived there at 3:30 AM. Reike says that this girl asked to speak with you personally. And after she refused to answer any more of his questions, Reike decided to put the girl and the vehicle on temporary lockup while he waited for you to wake up, sir. They have been there waiting for you ever since, sir."

Kazuya said nothing. Jane thought he was taking another sip of tea, until suddenly his voice broke the silence.

"Get Reike on the line." He demanded.

Jane, not expecting this sudden request, hurriedly leaned forward to reach the phone console. She pressed the "ADD CALLER" button, and then another button labeled "CAPTAIN REIKE". As soon as she pressed the button, Jane and Kazuya heard a ringing sound on their ends of the line.

They waited for a total of about 5 seconds before the ringing stopped. A brief muffled sound could be heard, and then a familiar voice spoke.

"Hello?" Said Reike, who was several levels below ground in the parking complex of the Mishima Zaibatsu Tower.

Without even acknowledging Reike's presence, Kazuya continued his line of discussion. "Jane, do you have any idea who this girl is?"

"No…" Said Jane slowly, not sure if she was supposed to answer yes to the question.

"Reike?" Asked Kazuya.

"I am not familiar with this girl either, sir." He said.

Kazuya was silent. This time, he probably was taking a sip of the tea. "Good." He finally said.

Jane and Captain Reike breathed a sigh of relief. Strange visitors to the Mishima Zaibatsu Tower were not an uncommon sight, and usually when they arrived, Kazuya tried to make sure that nobody knew who they were.

"I have new orders for you, Reike." Explained Kazuya.

"Yes?" Replied the Captain.

"Approach the woman and repeat the following phrase; 'This forest accepts no predator.'"

Reike, despite being surprised by his boss's strange request, complied immediately. "Yes sir." He said. Then, taking the phone away from his ear, the captain walked diligently out towards the mysterious car.

Now it was just Kazuya and Jane on the line. After several seconds of tense silence, Jane spoke.

"Do you know this woman, Mr. Mishima?" She asked carefully, trying to strike up a conversation.

"It is not of your concern." Answered Kazuya stoically.

Jane nodded her head and abandoned her questioning. Picking up Kazuya's daily schedule binder, she placed the booklet on her desk and opened it to the current page. There, laid out on the large sheet of paper, were all of Kazuya's activities for the entirety of the week. Although most of the scheduled activates were just workout sessions and business meetings, a few interesting topics were scattered throughout.

Just then, however, Jane heard a voice on the line. It was Captain Reike, back from his mission.

"Mr. Mishima?" He asked.

"Yes." Replied Kazuya.

"I gave the woman your message, and she appeared to be ready with a message of her own." He said.

Kazuya said nothing.

Picking up on Kazuya's silence, Reike continued his recounting. "I said; 'This forest accepts no predator.' And she replied with; 'This predator accepts no forest.'"

Jane was puzzled. As far as she could tell, the two sentences were nothing more than a meaningless contradiction of each other. Just then, however, she remembered how her boss had a fondness for secret passwords and codes. Perhaps, she thought, this might be just one such password.

Then, as if in response to Jane's musing, Kazuya spoke.

"Let her in." He said. "Take her to sub-level twelve. Reike, I want you to personally escort her there. Then escort her to the Inquiry Centers."

"Got it." Answered Reike.

Reike was about to put the phone down, when he heard one more order from his boss.

"Listen to me, both of you." He said as seriously as possible. "This phone call never happened. Neither of you have any memory of this event. Nobody saw who was riding in the car. In fact, no vehicle ever even entered the building at all. Understand?"

"I… I understand sir." Said Reike, who was a little surprised by Kazuya's sudden demands.

Jane was surprised as well. "Um…. Yes sir, Mr. Mishima. I understand entirely."

"Good..." He said darkly. "The last eight hours have been lunar. That is all."

Jane was surprised. Whenever Kazuya said something was "lunar", that meant he was initiating a top-secret protocol, and not simply making nonsense.

Kazuya Mishima was obviously a very, very, dark and mysterious man. In order to keep his empire afloat, he has needed to employ many unconventional tactics over the years. Some of these tactics fall into categories that other people may refer to as "unethical" or "illegal". For Kazuya, these words were meaningless. If Kazuya wanted something to get done, it would get done. Period.

But obviously this mantra can come across negatively to the public, which in turn would lead to civil unrest and rebellion. In order to keep the public in the dark about all his nefarious going-ons, Kazuya needed a way to make sure nobody found out about the things he did. That was how the lunar protocol was born.

The order, which can only be given directly from Kazuya Mishima himself, was a secret protocol that worked to erase and obliterate any traces of data associated to a specific event. This meant that certain people had to be killed or silenced, certain files and records had to be trashed, and false information had to be planted to cover it all up.

Essentially, when Kazuya declared that something was lunar, it ceased to exist.

During Jane's time with Kazuya, he had called for events to become lunar only a handful of times. The first time Kazuya had declared something lunar was about two years ago, during the Great War. At the time, Kazuya was the head of the G Corporation, and Jane was still his loyal secretary. In order to fight against his son Jin and the Mishima Zaibatsu, Kazuya worked with top scientists to develop the most powerful weapons and technologies in the history of warfare.

One day, towards the beginning of the war, some of the G Corporation's satellites gathered information that Jin was hiding in a local town in Northern Japan. Kazuya's scientists had been developing a new biological super weapon, so the order was put out for an impromptu test. After the chemical agent had been deployed on the poor village in Northern Japan, and killed every living thing within two miles of the drop site, it was discovered that Jin was nowhere to be found. Kazuya had just murdered a whole village of innocent farmers and their families.

If news of the massacre reached the public, the G Corporation would lose much credibility and support. To avoid this disaster, Kazuya implemented the first lunar protocol. He informed the members of his staff, and instantly the entire event never happened. All records and information about the chemical attack were disposed of, and all the G Corporation soldiers who knew about it were either killed or moved far away. Additionally the ruins of the village were leveled, to be replaced with a garbage landfill. From that point on, no one in the G Corporation was allowed to speak of it ever again, and for the most part, no one did. Thanks to Kazuya's intensive cover-up, the world never even found out about the horrible attack, much less did anything about it.

And after he saw how successful the first lunar protocol was, Kazuya decided to carry it with him into the Mishima Zaibatsu once he achieved control. Since then, he used it many different times, for a variety of reasons. Once, his personal jet plane was sabotaged, and he almost died in the resulting explosion. This event was erased by the lunar protocol. Another time, a small rebellion of Zaibatsu soldiers who were loyal to Heihachi Mishima rose up to challenge him. After killing them all, the event was erased by the lunar protocol. And most recently, Kazuya organized an agreement between several countries in the European Union that made them recognize HIM as their leader. This agreement, while still being in effect, was erased from the public eye through a lunar protocol.

Truly, the lunar protocol was a powerful decree.

"What am I supposed to do… sir?" Asked Captain Reike timidly, thanks to the fact that he was still very new to his job, and unsure of how things worked.

Without even pausing to think, Kazuya gave Reike a list of deadly serious orders. "As I said, escort the vehicle to sub-level twelve. Do this alone. From there, the girl in the car will inform you of your duties. Listen to everything she says, and treat her with the utmost respect. Do not tell anyone else about it, and do not mention this event ever again for the rest of your life, upon penalty of death. Understood?"

"Um… understood." Said Reike. After a few brief moments of silence, Reike hung up the phone and went to carry out his orders.

Next it was Jane's turn. Since Jane was much more experienced in dealing with Kazuya's demands, she required no explanation of the lunar protocol. She was around when the very first one was given, and in comparison to that, this lunar operation was hardly difficult at all. While Kazuya was giving orders to Reike, she had already begun working on erasing data from the Mishima Zaibatsu computer network. Not very much data had been created in the first place, so it was not long before all of the data had been deleted entirely.

"Just finishing up now, sir." Said Jane as she closed all her tabs and dropped a few pieces of scrap paper into a nearby shredder.

Kazuya waited silently as his assistant finished doing her job. Unlike most of the other employees under his control, he had a lot of faith in Jane and her abilities. Instead of checking on her progress to make sure that she was deleting everything, he simply knew that she would do it right.

Once she was done, Jane slid her binder back to the center of her desk and prepared for Kazuya's schedule. "The last eight hours are now lunar, sir. Are you ready for me to read your schedule?" She asked.

"Yes." Said Kazuya, who leaned back in his chair and took a sip of his tea.

And just like that, Kazuya Mishima was able to erase eight whole hours of time.

"Well," began Jane. "At 10:30 you are scheduled for a workout session in training room 3B. This should be over by about 12:30, and at 1:20 your personal helicopter will be arriving on the roof to take you downtown."

"Why." Asked a bored Kazuya , who already knew that the reason would be something stupid.

"Your new Mishima Shopping Supercenter has finally been completed, and you're supposed to be the guest of honor at the opening ceremony. There will be music and food and a huge crowd of people attending. But I know you don't like any of that, so you're only slated to give the opening address, then you can sit down for the rest of the time. There will probably be a lot of businessmen there ready to talk with you." Explained Jane.

Kazuya, despite not wanting to attend the superficial ceremony, knew that he probably should attend. "Very well." He said. "How long."

"The party lasts until midnight, but you can leave around 7:00 if you'd like. That's when most of the important activities will be over with."

Kazuya said nothing. Jane could tell that he was going to leave the event as soon as he could get an opportunity.

"Anyway," she continued, "The helicopter should get you back here at the tower by approximately 8:30, which gives you enough time to change and reach training room 8A for scheduled combat practice with Mr. Chaolan and his team."

"Does he have anything good for me." Kazuya asked lazily, referencing the disappointing Kevlar body armor he fought against last time he visited Lee and his men.

Jane gulped, fearing that Kazuya would get mad at Lee for failing him again. "Well, sir, as far as I am aware of, no major breakthroughs or improvements have been reported…" She said cautiously.

On the other end of the phone, Jane could hear Kazuya scoff. Clearly he was not amused.

"How long am I there." He asked.

"Normally your training sessions last for several hours, but it seems that this one will have to be cut short." Quickly said Jane. She was hurriedly searching through her binder of information to find the correct data and give her boss the information he needed.

"Why is that." Asked Kazuya.

"Well sir," Said Jane, looking down at the full day planner of Kazuya's activities. "It appears that you have a private appointment in your office tonight at 11:30."

On the other end of the line, Jane swore she heard Kazuya spit out his tea in shock.

Worriedly, she asked if her boss was in trouble. "Mr. Mishima? Is everything okay?" She inquired timidly.

Kazuya could be heard picking up and adjusting the phone to his ear. Up until this point, he had been using the speakerphone function on his private phone, but now, it seemed that the situation demanded a more personal connection.

"What did you say?" He asked in a deadly serious tone.

Jane began to feel nervous. "All I said, sir, was that you have an appointment tonight at 11:30…"

"Who." Demanded Kazuya.

Jane looked down at the paper. "It doesn't say, sir."

"What DOES it say." He demanded.

"Nothing... sir. All the normal information that is written down for appointments doesn't seem to be here…" Replied Jane.

Kazuya was silent. Jane could tell he was deep in thought. And she had learned after years in her job that it was one of the worst times to interrupt him when he was thinking.

So she waited patiently, until after several seconds, he spoke.

"When she arrives, send her up immediately. Do not call me to notify me of her presence. Do not observe her as she enters either. Do not wait for our meeting to be done. Do you understand?" He shot rapidly.

Normal people would have trouble keeping up with the speed of Kazuya's words, but Jane was a seasoned veteran. Years of working for Kazuya had taught her two things; how to listen carefully for all orders, and how to fake it when you can't listen properly.

"Yes sir." She said, this time employing a mix of both techniques.

"Good." Said Kazuya. He was quiet for a few seconds, which led Jane to believe that he was done talking. But just then, when she was about to hand up, she heard him speak.

"This appointment is lunar. Nothing more." He said coldly. And with that, Kazuya Mishima hung up his end of the phone.

After hearing that her boss had hung up, Jane slowly put down her phone receiver and thought about what she had just heard.

_Obviously, this 11:30 appointment must be the same woman from the 11:30 appointment that happened a week ago. _She thought.

Jane took out a dark black highlighter, and carefully crossed out the appointment on her daily schedule. The words "Appointment; 11:30 PM; High Office" slowly turned to black as the highlighter glided across them.

_Whoever that woman is, Kazuya must care about her a lot. Maybe not in the same way that normal people care for each other, but she definitely is still important to him. I wonder if this girl is the one that he was dancing with at the gala…_

Jane closed the binder, and tucked it away in her backpack nearby. Heaving a small breath, she pulled her chair closer to the desk and glanced at the clock. It read; 10:05.

_Unfortunately the whole mystery just became lunar. I suppose that means I can't ever talk about it again. Hahaha, darn. It was just starting to get interesting too… _She mused.

Jane reached to the far side of the desk and picked up her cell phone, which lied there silently. She held it up in front of her and saw that she had one new message. She opened the message and was greeted by a surprisingly non-work-related text from her new boyfriend.

"HEY BABE! 3 I'm sooooo lonely up here by myself. When can we see each other again? –Lee"

Jane smiled. The text was a complete waste of company resources, and definitely came across as cheesy. She rolled her eyes, then put the phone down and made a mental note to herself to remind Lee of his duties. She really liked him and all, but if he kept goofing off during work hours, then Kazuya would have his head. And he knew it.

Just then, Jane noticed that her phone was low on battery life.

"Oh… where did I leave that charger?" She muttered as she turned around in her chair searching for it. After a few seconds of searching, she located the charger on a countertop across the room.

Jane quickly stood up to go get the charger. And as she stood, she elbowed her nearby cup of coffee off the desk and onto the ground.

It fell, and dark black coffee spilled everywhere.

"GOD DAMMIT!"

…

…

…

(10:26 AM)

(Mishima Zaibatsu Tower, Parking Garage sublevel twelve)

…

…

…

"Oh… you're such a gentleman." Said Kunimitsu sarcastically.

Reike ignored the comment, then contorted his arms as he heaved the heavy man's body onto his shoulders. The man, being completely unconscious and nonresponsive, leaned entirely on Reike's shoulders, causing him to immediately regret his decision.

"Thanks for taking the old guy off my hands." Said Kunimitsu, in apparent appreciation of Reike's good deed.

Just a few seconds before, Kunimitsu had been carrying the man on her shoulder, dragging him along the hard stone floor beneath the Mishima Zaibatsu building. The man's name was Asukon Kazama, and he was the target that Kunimitsu had been sent to retrieve from a local suburb a few days ago. She had defeated the man's daughter in hand-to-hand combat, then kidnapped him after knocking him unconscious with horse tranquilizer.

After loading his body into a getaway car, Kunimitsu had driven about a hundred miles to her destination; The Mishima Zaibatsu. There, she was to enter the lower level parking garages, and await further instructions from her employer. After waiting several hours, Kunimitsu had been told that Kazuya was awake and aware of her presence, and allowing her to enter. She drove the car down into another private garage floor, then parked it and removed her captive. Waiting for her outside the car was a handsome young man who identified himself as Captain Richard Reike of the Mishima High Guard.

Captain Reike told Kunimitsu that he would be guiding her to her destination, and that he personally had reported to Kazuya about her arrival. Of course, Kunimitsu couldn't care less who was escorting her where, but she complied nonetheless, and removed the unconscious Mr. Kazama from the trunk of her car. After dragging him about a hundred yards across the parking garage, the young Captain had graciously offered to take the man off her hands.

Of course, Kunimitsu couldn't refuse an offer like that.

"Well…" Said Captain Reike. "He's a lot heavier than he looks, eh?"

Kunimitsu nodded. "Yep. It's probably all that takeout food he keeps ordering for his family. The stuff is absolutely terrible for your health you know."

Reike laughed. "Wow, I never would have pegged you as someone who worries about diets and health." He said jokingly.

Kunimitsu, who had been walking stoically forward during the majority of the conversation, suddenly turned to face her companion. "Are you trying to say I'm fat?" She asked angrily.

Reike laughed again. "Haha no, of course not." He assured. "I'm just saying… you've got the whole 'mysterious ninja girl' thing going on. I thought you people were supposed to be all about death and sneakiness, right? I mean, the people who come in here are mercenaries and soldiers mostly, so I guess it's just strange to see one of Mr. Mishima's contacts talking about something like fast food."

Kunimitsu turned back to face forward. Of course she didn't care if the man was calling her fat or not, but she enjoyed making men squirm over simple conversations. Apparently, however, this man was different.

"I suppose you're right about that." She said. "People often tell me that I don't quite fit the bill for a ninja."

"Why is that?" Asked Reike sarcastically. "Is it because of the mask? Or the attitude?"

Kunimitsu laughed. "Both, really."

"I can see where they're coming from." Said Reike.

"Ninjas are supposed to be all dark and mysterious all the time. And quiet, too. They're supposed to be really damn quiet. Can you imagine what life would be like without talking at all?" Asked Kunimitsu in a falsely endearing tone. "That would be terrible."

"I guess it would." Replied Reike, who quickly adjusted his grip on the man over his shoulder, and continued walking. As they walked they passed by rows and rows of identical cars and SUVs. This was the lowest level of the Mishima Zaibatsu Tower, and it housed mostly army equipment.

The two companions walked on in silence for a few moments, until Kunimitsu spoke. "How much farther is it?"

"The destination is sub-level Nine-F, which is mostly holding cells. Judging from the fact that we're only three stories underneath it, and that there are a series of elevation units on the far side of this room, I believe our estimated arrival time should be anywhere from within the next seven minutes to anywhere within the next ten minutes, depending on our continued pace." Replied Reike while staring straight ahead.

"Whoa there cowboy…" Joked Kunimitsu. "I don't need your mission briefing. A simple 'five minutes' would have sufficed."

Reike shrugged. "I guess I'm just used to being in military settings. When you've got a position like mine, a simple 'five minutes' never suffices."

"Good point." Said Kunimitsu lazily.

Again, the pair was silent. For Kunimitsu, the walk was just another boring job of her day. For Reike, the walk was just another boring order of his day.

However, Kunimitsu, mostly out of boredom, broke the silence again.

"God…" she sighed, "this job must suck."

Captain Reike adjusted his head and glanced at the strange girl with the fox mask. "It's not as bad as you'd think." He said. "I mean, the hours are long, and the stress is real, but there's never a dull moment."

"Never a dull moment?" Questioned Kunimitsu, who shot Reike an amused glance.

After thinking for a second, Reike responded. "Okay, expect for this one. THIS is a dull moment." He said with a smirk.

Kunimitsu faked a laugh and turned back to face front. "There's got to be other dull moments. Come on, Richard. You're making me feel bad! Surely you don't mean to say that I'm dull, do you?" She joked, again attempting to make her companion feel ncomfortable.

"Please," Said Richard in a serious tone. "Call me Captain Reike."

Kunimitsu held up her hands in mock surprise. "Whoa, I thought we were friends, Rick!" She said.

Rick stopped in his tracks, causing Kunimitsu to take another step before realizing what had happened. When she noticed that the man had halted, she stopped and spun around to face him. Just before she said something, he interrupted her.

"Please," He repeated. "Call me Captain Reike."

Kunimitsu crossed her arms and raised one eyebrow in the sassiest way she could. Unfortunately her mask completely blocked her face from Reike's view.

"Are you seriously going to be this much of a stick-in-the-mud? Ricky, I thought you were cool…"

"Please." Repeated Ricky, who maintained keeping calm. He even had a half-smile on his face. "Call me Captain Reike."

Kunimitsu rolled her eyes and leaned all her weight on one hip. Again, the sass was blocked from view.

"You know, for a moment there, I totally thought you were going to be cool. Don't tell me you're just going to stand there and get pissed at me for abbreviating your name, are you? Well are you, Reikey?"

Reikey smiled. "Please." He said. "Call me Captain Reike."

Kunimitsu sighed and brushed a stand of her red hair out of her eyes. "You… suck." She said.

Reike nodded his head in sarcastic agreement, and abruptly started walking again. Kunimitsu saw Reike pass by her on the way to the elevators, then quickly caught up with him.

"They should call you Captain Characterless…" She remarked.

"I think Captain Reike will do." Said Reike cheerily, who seemed to be enjoying the ridiculous conversation he was having.

Just then, the duo arrived at a large set of steel doors. Reike pointed with one hand at a small button next to the door, which Kunimitsu then leaned forward and pressed. At once, the door slid open, revealing a small elevator compartment.

"Ladies first." Said Captain Reike slyly.

Kunimitsu stood stock still, and looked at Reike with a death stare. Then she flashed an overly exaggerated smile and proceeded to enter the elevator. Reike followed close behind. Once the three people; Reike, Kunimitsu, and Mr. Kazama, were safely inside, the door slid shut.

Kunimitsu crossed her arms and leaned back against the wall of the elevator. Reike pointed to a vast array of buttons, and spoke. "Be a doll and press the one labeled 'Sub-level twelve' will you?"

Kunimitsu laughed at the man's demand. "You can't make me." She said sassily.

Reike groaned. He shifted his grip on the man he was holding, then bent down and reached for the button controls with his left index finger. After straining to maintain his balance, Reike was able to successfully press the button, and send the elevator to the desired location. Immediately, it began to move upwards.

"Thanks a lot." He scoffed.

"No problem, buddy!" Said Kunimitsu with a huge, smartass smile on her face.

Eventually, the elevator car stopped, and the doors opened up. Now instead of being in a dark parking garage, the duo seemed to have reached a long, metallic-colored hallway. The hallway stretched on for what seemed to be forever, with a few doors dotting the sides of it.

Kunimitsu took one look out of the elevator and sighed. "How much farther…?" She asked lazily.

"A simple two minutes" Replied Reike.

Kunimitsu laughed. "Now that's more like it, Dick!" She said enthusiastically.

Reike, not even pausing to turn around, walked briskly out of the elevator and addressed the rude girl behind him. "Please." Said Dick. "Call me Captain Reike."

Kunimitsu caught up with Reike, and walked alongside him. "You do realize that I'm never going to call you that, right?" She asked.

"Yeah." Answered Reike. "I've kind of accepted that fact by now."

Kunimitsu nodded her head and continued walking. "So why does it matter so much what I call you? Can't you just loosen up a bit?"

Reike turned to his female companion. "When you're in my line of work, you can't afford to loosen up." He said darkly.

Kunimitsu looked at Reike quizzically, then rejected his answer. "I'm calling BS on that one." She said.

"Why?" Asked Reike in confusion. "Mr. Mishima has a very strict set of rules of all of his employees. One little slip-up could cost me my job. Or worse…"

"Or worse?" Kunimitsu paused. "Speaking of 'or worse', what ever happened to the old Captain of the Mishima High Guard? Last time I was here, the Captain was some stuffy old guy named Sokol or something, right?"

Reike let out a short laugh. "Oh yeah. There's a perfect example for you. Sokol was Captain of the Mishima High Guard for over a year until last week. Kazuya decided to spring a surprise inspection on my entire company. Usually Sokol gets a little time to prepare for these inspections, so this time around, let's just say that Kazuya caught him with his pants down…"

"You mean Kazuya saw him failing to comply with his standards?" Asked Kunimitsu.

Reike smiled deviously. "No…" he said. "He LITERALLY caught him with his pants down. Sokol was spending company timing screwing one of the female interns, and Kazuya just got lucky enough to make his surprise inspection at the same time that Sokol was getting it on. Obviously that didn't end well…"

Kunimitsu burst out laughing. "Hahahaha! Are you serious? That ugly old guy? That's hilarious!"

"Yeah I know. My company couldn't stop laughing about it. And we still are. Every time one of us looks at a pretty girl, we all warn that guy not to 'pull a Sokol'."

Kunimitsu looked like she was genuinely laughing and smiling now, whereas before she was mostly faking it. Her composure relaxed, and Reike's along with it.

"So, what did the big bad Kazuya Mishima do to the poor guy when he found out?" She asked.

Reike adjusted his grip on the unconscious body and looked off into the distance like he was thinking. "Um… to tell you the truth, I'm not really sure. Some of my men have heard rumors that Mr. Mishima ordered him to be thrown into a river and shot. We're not quite sure on the details, but the poor bastard is definitely dead. That much is a fact."

Kunimitsu nodded her head and smiled. "Yep." She said casually. "That sure sounds like good ol' Kazzy."

Reike looked at Kunimitsu strangely, then faced back forward, Kunimitsu, however, noticed him looking at her.

"What?" she asked. "Why did you look at me like that? Did I say something?"

Reike shook his head. "No… it's just strange to hear someone referring to Mr. Mishima like that. All the men around here are way more careful with their words than you are."

"What? You guys seriously don't call him Kazzy? Not even behind his back?"

"Nope. It's only 'sir' and 'Mr. Mishima' around here. If we dare to say anything else, we're screwed."

"Sounds like you're scared of him." Said Kunimitsu condescendingly.

"We are." Confirmed Reike. "He's the single most powerful man on the face of the earth. He owns three fourths of the entire world's economies. He shoots electricity out of his hands for god's sake! How could you not be afraid of that?"

Kunimitsu waved her hand dismissively and said "Pshhhh." like she didn't care. "All those stupid Mishimas do that stuff. I swear, it's like they're all the same."

Reike looked at her with another surprised expression on his face. "The way you talk about the Mishima family, it seems like you just don't care about the repercussions at all. That's so odd…"

"Is it?" Asked Kunimitsu endearingly. "Tell me, Reike. Which is more natural? To be scared to death of a man so much that he controls every aspect of your speech and life, or to be unafraid of men who try to take precedence over your free thoughts and actions."

Reike looked at the ground as he walked. "Well, when you put it that way…"

"Yeah. It seems ludicrous." Said Kunimitsu. Suddenly the conversation had gone from joking and sarcastic to philosophical and serious in the blink of an eye.

"Well there must be something that you're afraid of." Said Reike quietly. "Everyone's afraid of something."

Kunimitsu turned her masked face upwards. "Not me." She said proudly. "There's nothing for me to be afraid of anyway."

"Not even fear of dying?"

The fox girl nodded slowly. "Not even fear of dying. Fear of death is pointless."

"Pointless?" Asked Reike.

"Yes. Pointless." She confirmed. "Do you want to hear my reasoning?"

"Sure." Agreed Reike.

Kunimitsu looked off into the distance as she thought about what she wanted to say. "Let's get into hypotheticals; let's say that in three years, someone is going to punch you in the face. You are aware of the exact date and time at which you will be punched, which will hurt very, very much, and you know for a fact that there is no way to avoid it."

"Okay…" Said Reike, who was quite unsure of where the girl was going with her example.

Kunimitsu took a deep breath and looked directly at Reike. "Would you spend those three years living fear of the punch?"

Reike looked back at her. He then turned forward, and thought about his response. Finally, he spoke. "Well… you said that it can't be avoided no matter what, right?"

"Yes."

Reike frowned slightly. "Well, in that case, I suppose there is no reason to fear it. If it's going to happen either way, then fearing it would just cause me to have three miserable years."

Kunimitsu looked almost happy at his response. "Exactly!" She exclaimed. "That's why fearing death is pointless!"

"I don't see the connection." Said Reike.

"Just think about it." Said the fox girl, who was turning out to be surprisingly deep. "Death is going to come to us all. At some point we are all going to die, regardless of our actions. It is inevitable."

"Of course."

"So…" She continued. "Death is like the punch. You know it is coming. You know that you will be unable to stop it. You know that it will hurt…"

"…but yet for some reason, you choose to fear it." Finished Reike. Who was starting to understand the girl more clearly now.

The girl was making a completely logical argument. Ever since he was a boy, Reike had always feared death in all forms. But now, now that he thought about the true nature of death, he began to realize that fearing it was pointless.

"So you do understand what I'm trying to say. Right?" Asked Kunimitsu, interrupting the man's thoughts.

Reike nodded his head slowly. "I… do. You make a good point." He said honestly.

"Thank you." She replied.

Just then, Reike realized that he had arrived at the destination. A lone metal door was placed in the side of the wall, with a simple sign next to it that read; "Inquiry Center". A small keypad was positioned next to the door with a mix of buttons on it, evidently meant to be a passcode module.

"Well," Said Reike, "this is our stop."

Kunimitsu looked at the door and then down at the keypad. "I suppose I'll need to take the old man off your hands for a couple seconds, right?" She asked.

Reike smiled half-heartedly. "Yeah. If you wouldn't mind."

Kunimitsu nodded and held out her hands. Reike turned around and leaned backwards, lowering the unconscious body of Asukon Kazama into the hands of his companion. Once Kunimitsu had a firm grip on the man, Reike let go of him and allowed the body to rest entirely on Kunimitsu.

"Oh god…" heaved Kunimitsu as she struggled with the weight of the man. "He's heavier than he looks, eh?" She joked, repeating what Reike had first said back in the parking garage.

Reike smiled and turned to the keypad and began pressing buttons. "Must be that damn takeout food…" He muttered slyly.

After pressing a few more buttons, the keypad glowed green and gave off a low ding noise. The door slid open automatically, and the next room was revealed. It was a small room, with one window on the side and another door next to that window. Beyond the window was another room, slightly larger, but much stranger looking.

That room had entirely white walls, with no appliances or decorations other than a single metallic chair and a single metallic table. The chair was bolted to the ground directly behind the table, facing the window. The table was bolted down as well, and other than those two pieces of furniture, the room was empty.

Anyone who has ever been in the military or seen a police TV show for that matter would be able to identify the room as an interrogation chamber.

Reike walked briskly into the room, and over to the second door which led to the interrogation chamber. What he was standing in at the moment was the observation room, where people could look in on the interrogation without the subject being aware of their presence. This was thanks to the window being tinted darkly one way. Kunimitsu slowly followed her guide into the room, dragging the body of Mr. Kazama as she went.

"Just put him down in the chair." Said Reike as he opened the interrogation door and pointed to the metallic chair in the middle of the room.

"You got it, Richard." Said Kunimitsu, who pretended to not notice that she was offending Captain Reike. She entered the room, and plopped Asukon Kazama into the chair, where he slumped over onto the table. He sat there like a blackout drunk who had just returned from a long night at the pub. Once she was done, Kunimitsu turned around to face Reike.

"Please." He said with a smile. "Just don't let Mr. Mishima know that you call me Richard."

Kunimitsu could not help but smile back.

"Looks like I finally made a friend." She said happily.

…

…

…

(THIRTEEN HOURS LATER)

…

…

…

(11:26 PM)

(Mishima Zaibatsu Tower, High Office)

…

…

…

The door slid silently open as Kazuya stepped out of his changing room. Now he was wearing his favorite black and purple outfit, which was usually reserved for everything but workouts and formal events. Walking briskly through his bedroom, Kazuya opened a second door and entered his office.

_It's been a long day… that stupid party was exhausting my patience. Just like I thought, it was nothing but stuffy old businessmen and idiotic partiers. I refuse to attend any more of those ridiculous celebrations from now on._

Kazuya walked directly towards his desk, and crossed his arms as he waited for the chair to automatically pull out for him. As usual, it did, and Kazuya sat right down. Next the chair began to pull itself in closer to the desk, so Kazuya could reach everything there. Right now, however the desk was empty.

Kazuya was expecting company.

_It's been a full week since I've seen her. I knew that she would come back, I just didn't know how or when. Turns out both of my questions have been answered…_

Now that he was sitting in the proper position, Kazuya leaned back in his chair and relaxed. He crossed his arms back over his chest, and heaved a sigh.

_In a few minutes she will return to me. And I will be ready. Last time I was a fool... I let my emotions control my behavior, and I said things that I normally would never have said. But now that I am aware of her presence, she holds no surprises for me._

The clock blinked once, and then changed to 11:27. Kazuya glanced at it briefly, then returned his gaze to the front door.

_I have more questions for you this time… _He thought. _And if you think that you can come in here acting like some damned foolish child again, you are gravely mistaken. There will be no dancing. There will be no joking. This is serious._

Just then, a small blue light flashed near his office door, and a subsequent beeping noise sounded off. Apparently, someone was at the door.

Kazuya scoffed.

_You're early… _he thought.

Again, the beeping noise sounded. Instead of opening the door, Kazuya glanced lazily at the clock. It read: 11:28. He leaned forward in his chair, and uncrossed his arms. Then he focused all his attention on the door in front of him.

Holding both hands in front of him with palms facing each other, he prepared to revisit his ghost.

_This time, I am the one in control… Jun._

And with that, Kazuya clapped his hands once.

Immediately, the door slid open.

**End Chapter Nine**

(I thought this chapter was pretty solid, but probably not my best work. I really just wanted to give Reike and Kunimitsu more character development, because they both seem like people that deserve to be a more serious part of the story. And, oh god! I can't wait for Jun to meet Kazuya again! I realize now that I might have been a little misleading when I said that Jun returned to the story in chapter nine, because technically she did not. But for all intents and purposes, she is pretty much back. Next chapter will start off immediately with Jun and Kazuya, so if you feel like you got cheated out of seeing Jun this time, do not worry, she'll be in the next chapter. Promise. Anyway, after writing that long intro, I've really been thinking more about the three main Tekken films; Tekken Blood Vengeance, the 2010 Tekken live action film, and Tekken: The Motion Picture. As far as I'm aware, these are the three main Tekken films, so if you know of any others that I missed, please tell me so in the reviews section. Now, I've seen all of these films at least once, if not twice, and I enjoyed all of them. However, if I had to pick one that I liked the LEAST, I would definitely go with the 2010 live action film. In my opinion, the movie screwed up Kazuya's character, and really turned the whole franchise on its head. Inversely, I thought that Tekken: The Motion Picture was the BEST of the three. It's portrayal of Kazuya was spot-on, and kind of acts as a basis for me while I'm writing my own stories. While it does get a little strange at some points, and it is unusually bloody, I still think it's one of the best animated films ever made. Again, if you like this story right here, then I would highly, highly, highly recommend that you try and see Tekken: The Motion Picture. The whole thing is on YouTube, all the way through, meaning it's totally free and ready. Damn… this closing AN is dragging on too. If I had more space, I would honestly spend hours talking about those movies. I have a lot to praise about Tekken: The Motion Picture, a lot to criticize about the Tekken live action film, and also a lot to say about Tekken: Blood Vengeance. In fact, I think I'm going to ask you readers about it. Here's the question of the day; "Which of the three main Tekken films is your favorite and why?" Please write your answer in the reviews section! I'll address all of your responses in chapter ten, so let your thoughts be heard! As always, thank you so much for reading my story!)


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